Kochi, Oct 30 (PTI) Keralam Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Friday said the growing corporate presence in healthcare was driving up treatment costs and putting essential medical care beyond the reach of ordinary people.
He said corporate involvement was expanding beyond hospitals to diagnostic centres, pathology and radiology facilities, as well as pharmaceutical manufacturing and distribution.
Speaking after inaugurating the Golden Jubilee Block and a people's healthcare protection scheme at the Indira Gandhi Cooperative Hospital here, the CM said profit-driven interventions should not deprive ordinary and middle-class families of access to essential medical treatment.
He said it was the government's responsibility to address a situation in which families were forced to mortgage their houses and land to meet medical expenses.
Satheesan said government-run and cooperative hospitals could play a crucial role in keeping healthcare costs under control.
The government was seriously considering ways to make diagnostic tests available free of cost to the poor and at affordable rates to others, he added.
He called for collective efforts in Keralam to end exploitation in the healthcare sector and stressed the need to strengthen modern treatment facilities in government and cooperative hospitals.
The CM said he often referred patients to the Indira Gandhi Cooperative Hospital as it had demonstrated its ability to perform bypass surgeries at reasonable rates.
He stressed the need to make affordable alternatives to expensive medicines available without compromising on quality.
The benefits of reductions in medicine prices should reach patients, and healthcare providers should not offset such reductions by increasing charges for other services, he said.
Satheesan unveiled the logo of the hospital's people's healthcare protection scheme, which aims to provide quality treatment to economically weaker sections at affordable rates.
As part of its golden jubilee celebrations, the hospital has announced a 50 per cent reduction in bills for 50 selected patients over 50 days. It has also offered a 50 per cent concession on major procedures such as coronary artery bypass grafting, cancer surgeries and knee replacement, hospital authorities said.
The initiative aims to make modern medical facilities accessible to ordinary patients at lower costs, they added.
(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)