Emphasis on healthcare muted: Dr Reddy's chairman

Lauds dialysis scheme & new health insurance plan, but says a well rounded thrust required to deliver good health to those in need of it

Dr Reddy's Laboratories chairman Satish Reddy said the budgetary emphasis on the healthcare front was fairly muted even though the focus on infrastructure, rural development and social sector spending are important catalysts for boosting the economy's growth rate.

While certain initiatives such as the new health insurance scheme or the National Dialysis Services programme are good, perhaps a more holistic, well rounded thrust would have served the sector better in delivering good health to those in need of it, according to him.

The initial outlay of Rs 1,000 crore to fund higher education is simply not enough, given the huge gap and growing need for students to have access to high quality education, he said while hoping that the government will build upon this and expand access to higher education to a much larger section of society.

The plan to set up the National Board of Skill Development in partnership with industry and academia is a step in the right direction, he said in a statement.