Union Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda on Monday sought the pharma industry’s views on how it can actively contribute to the national health protection scheme, Ayushman Bharat, to improve access to medical care.
Speaking here at the India Pharma and Medical Devices Summit 2019, the Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers also promised government support to the industry to “achieve and maintain leadership position in manufacturing and supply of high-quality generic medicines”.
India is a leading exporter of affordable generics to many countries, including developing and developed nations, and will continue to discharge the responsibilities in this regard, he said. “We intend to continue formulating plans that are based on sound science, technology, business sense and ethics. We continue to strive to increase the ease of doing business in India, for which several measures have already been announced and many others will follow,” he said.
The Minster said the summit provided an ideal platform to deliberate upon strategies to help the country innovate and bring newer, affordable and quality therapies to the market. “I am keen to hear from the industry on how they think they can actively contribute to the National Health Protection Scheme, which is the largest government-funded healthcare programme in the world,” he said.
Last September, the government launched the mega health insurance scheme to provide coverage of ₹5 lakh per family annually, benefiting more than 10 crore poor families.
Industry value
Mr. Gowda said while India will continue to strive to achieve and maintain a leadership position in the manufacturing and supply of high-quality generic medicines, there is also a need to look at ways to improve access to medical care.
The pharmaceutical industry in India was valued at over $34 billion in 2017-18, with almost a 50:50 share of domestic and export markets, he said. The Minister added that “it is expected to grow at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 15% in the near future”.