MP Arora Praised for Championing Affordable Healthcare by MP Prof Ram Gopal Yadav

Ludhiana: MP Rajya Sabha Sanjeev Arora organised an interactive session with MP Prof Ram Gopal Yadav, Charman, Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare on the theme `Making Healthcare More Robust’ here on Wednesday late evening.

Among others, Dr Balbir Singh, Health Minister, Punjab; Dr Satbir Singh Gosal, Vice Chancellor, PAU, Ludhiana; Dr Gurpreet Singh Wander, Principal, DMCH, Ludhiana; Dr Bishav Mohan (DMCH), Bipin Gupta, Secretary, DMCH Managing Society; Kumar Rahul, Principal Secretary, Health & Family Welfare, Punjab; and MP Sanjeev Arora actively participated in this interaction session, which discussed on various healthcare issues including affordable health care for all.  

Commending MP Arora’s efforts to ensure affordable healthcare for all, Prof Ram Gopal Yadav who is having 32 years of experience as an MP, said, “I hold Arora ji in high regard because he is working tirelessly to make medical treatment accessible to the common people. I have never seen any other MP so actively engaged or vocal on this issue. I sincerely appreciate his dedication. I also thank him for inviting me to today’s event—had he not, I might not have attended. His presence in the meetings of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare brings great value. As a ‘doctor of doctors,’ he effortlessly grasps complex medical issues that often elude those outside the medical field.”

On the issue of MRP of medicines, he said this is long-pending issue about which the government is not accepting recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare over the years. He said there is a big gap between MRP and actual cost of the medicines, resulting to which the ultimate sufferers are the patients. He admitted that there prevails a nexus between the medical fraternity and the pharma companies because everything is being done on basis of “commission”.

Adding, MP Prof Yadav said that since long they have urging upon the government to empower the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for controlling the prices of medicines. He added presently the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) established under the ministry of chemicals and fertilizers, Government of India is controlling the prices of medicines, resulting to which there is a big difference between MRP and the actual price of medicines.

MP Prof Yadav laid stress on the need of ensuring affordable healthcare for all. He said MP Sanjeev Arora has already been doing commendable work in this direction, adding that he has already given many suggestions to Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare in this regard. However, he said something concrete could happen only if the GoI shows its interest towards this direction.

MP Prof Yadav said there is a need that the GoI should increase healthcare budget from the existing .27 percent to 2-3 per cent of the GDP. If this budget allocation is increased, only then new health infrastructure can be increased in the country, he added. He advised local medical fraternity to give their suggestions to MP Arora for making healthcare affordable in the country.  

Punjab Health Minister, Dr Balbir Singh highlighted various policies and programmes being run for providing better healthcare by the state government under the leadership of Punjab CM Bhagwant Singh Mann. He spoke about many initiatives including Aam Aadmi Clinics of the state government and said even the state government is providing various test facilities in the well- equipped laboratories.

Speaking on the occasion, MP Sanjeev Arora said he is working hard for ensuring affordable health to all. He said he has taken up this issue with the Centre many times. He said out of average pocket expense is 60 percent in India against 18 per cent across the world, even many countries are having 5 per cent out of pocket expense. He also highlighted some shortcomings of Ayushman Bharat Scheme and pointed out that many big private hospitals are not getting themselves empaneled under this scheme, resulting to which people are not getting complete benefit of the scheme. He suggested that the rate under Ayushman Bharat Scheme should be at par with the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS).  He regrated that critical care is not being covered under the Ayushman Bharat Scheme.

A question & answer session was also held.