60% of all deaths are attributed to NCDs (Non Communicable Diseases). Healthcare Access is a big issue. Inactive lifestyles in young generation is on an increasing trend. This in turn resusults in Productivity dipping. India is a young nation or an unhealthy land is a point to ponder. No doubt that it is an economic powerhouse. Fact of the matter is that Non communicable diseases are more complex to handle. In fact, now Insurance sompanies are focusing on truly sustainable measures to control NCDs. Like a premium insurance company offers lower premium charges if their subscribers take 10,000 steps a day. And in fact they also provide Fitbit for that. The same is happening in USA on a larger scale.
All stakeholders need to go hand in hand to tackle these issues and to tackle concerns of Healthcare Access. Like pharmaceutical industry, doctors, health centers, and so on. Each individual or organization is doing a tremendous job in the field of Health. But the key constituent of collaboration is missing. National Health policy 2017 focuses on acceptability, affordability, quality, and collaboration.
Healthcare Access is a major concern
Some key takeaways in order to set Healthcare Access as top priority areare:
- Firstly, If you want it to succeed, every stakeholder needs to work in a collaborative manner.
- Secondly, Newer evidences are coming in regard to diabetes that breaks many myths about it.
- Thirdly, We are the only country where a warning comes on big screen or small screen whenever there is a scene about tobacco consumption.
- Fourthly, Tobacco consumption in India has dropped by 6%. This is a big achievement as compared to global figures.
- 70% percent of ours expenditure goes in diagnosis and drugs.
- Lastly, India is the largest producer of generic but we are not the largest consumer. The issue lies in quality. India will have the same quality standards as it is for the rest of the world. There has to be no demarcation.
Access to medicine (or healthcare access) is a big fight in India which even some richest of the countries opposed because of their vested interests. But ultimately they had to agree and declare it openly. Anupriya Patel was there to Grace the event. She is the youngest Minister in prime minister Modi’s Central cabinet. She is minister of state for health and family welfare. Healthcare access to all is something that the ministry is working on with full thrust.
OPPI Healthcare Access Awards
Healthcare is a priority agenda for OPPI. Physical reach, availability, quality, and affordability are the four pillars of this agenda as a result of a study from IMS. In fact, access is a holistic issue that a single parameter can’t address to. India has made a substantial progress in this regard in past two decades but still has a long way to go. New national health policy insists on shifting focus from sick-care to wellness by promoting prevention and well-being. OPPI started it’s journey with creating platform for improving access in 2012. Similarly there were many achievements in the coming years. The aim is to take the journey to next level with the help of latest technologies to improve accessibility.
OPPI Healthcare Access Awards – There were four awards in total. The award includes INR 2 lac each In following categories. These categories are: Accessibility, Diabetes, Oncology, and Digital Innovation.
- First award for enhancing accessibility goes to LV Prasad Eye Hospital, Hyderabad, a super specialty hospital. The award is supported by abott India and Johnson & Johnson India.
- The second award in Diabetes care is supported by Novartis and it goes to India Diabetes Research Center, Chennai.
- The third award for healthcare in oncology. Novartis India is supporting it and it goes to India Cancer Society, Mumbai.
- The fourth award is OPPI healthcare award in digital innovation which is supported by Glaxo Smithkline. The award goes to Practo, Mumbai for a number of digital innovation initiatives in healthare field.
The unveiling of a couple of publications was online for the first time. The moment it was unveiled in the hall, it was available on
OPPI website.
Manisha Koirala on Healthcare Access
Cancer survivor, Bollywood actress Manisha Koirala was there to share her story of struggle and win over this deadly disease and the lessons taken from it. It was in 2012 when she was diagnosed with cancer. She immediately rushed to Mumbai from Nepal. Deciding not to give up and try for the best possible treatment was something that took her to undergo eleven hour long surgery in USA. In fact, she tells people on various platforms that cancer is not a death sentence. It is almost five years after defeating Cancer that she is living a perfect life. Reassurance is very important to do away from the fear of recurrence as she says. Healthy Lifestyle impacts a lot on healthy living. Staying positive, happy, emotionally fulfilled is very important to stay healthy.
