Accord infra status to healthcare sector: Assocham

The government should accord infrastructure status to the healthcare sector so that it can attract more investments, industry body Assocham has said.

The chamber in its pre-Budget recommendations to Finance Ministry, has requested the government to accord infrastructure status to the sector along with holiday schemes up to a period of 10 years, it said.

"This would boost desired investment flows from overseas and domestic players," Assocham said.

Currently, the industry gets a tax holiday for five consecutive years for an undertaking deriving profits from the business of operating and maintaining a hospital in a rural area.

Infrastructure status provides benefits of excise duty and income tax sops as well.

Further, the chamber said, accordance of the status would also lead to opportunities such as creation of job prospects, growth in services sector, enhancement of bed capacity in hospitals and more foreign exchange by way of medical travel.

Infrastructure status would enable setting up of more training centres for doctors and nurses, which would help the healthcare sector and Indian economy in a major way.