Roll out new national health policy, FICCI asks government

Industry body FICCI Friday asked the government to roll out a new national health policy for ensuring universal health coverage.

A high-level Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) delegation, led by its president Sidharth Birla, met Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and recommended a blended approach towards universal health coverage (UHC).

"A new national health policy needs to be rolled out to support implementation of universal health coverage over the next decade. To contain rising cost of healthcare, we also need to provide facilitating regulatory environment to promote innovative products and practices to make India a hub for medical technology," Birla said.

"For reducing the disease burden, the government should focus on investments in preventive and promotive health in light of the rapid demographic and epidemiological transition in the country," he said.