Innovation in Healthcare

" Make your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears - Nelson Mandela "

Healthcare

About the Samman

The Yashraj Bharati Samman for Innovation in Healthcare is instituted to felicitate the exemplary work done by an/a individual/organisation/institution/social enterprise in the field of healthcare in India. The achievements of prospective awardees in the category can include aspects like -

Village Clinics

Invention

Invention of a new technology (including treatment or preventative medicine) that benefits the healthcare sector

Innovating

Innovating and applying a new program that provides improved access to health particularly for the marginalised and underprivileged sections

Expansion

Expansion of pre-existing healthcare setup for better accessibility to all

Promoting

Most importantly, innovating or promoting measures that make healthcare more affordable for all classes in India

Affordable

Most importantly, innovating or promoting measures that make healthcare more affordable for all Indians

Preference would be given to nominees whose work exhibits the following transformative qualities in the 4 broad fields:

For Education

Promoting/providing access to education for all (Right to Education)
Improving quality
Girl child education and protection

For Livelihood

Skill development or improvement
Capacity Building
Social Enterprising

For Nutrition

Hunger
Mother and child nutrition
Promotes Right to Food

For Sustainable Development

Particularly in rural areas and low income urban area Inclusion of multiple sectors like literacy, skills, social, political (in terms of citizenship and rights), environment, etc Cost effectiveness, scalability, replicability and measurable impact would be the focus factors in this category.

Why Did We Choose To Felicitate Individuals /Organizations In This Category?

The journey of the Healthcare System in India began with the Bhore Committee Report of 1946, officially known as the Report on the Health Survey and Development Committee. The Bhore Committee recommended a three-tiered health care system with the capacity to provide preventive and curative treatment to ailing citizens in both rural and urban areas. Further suggestions were made to include health care workers in government payrolls and reduce the dependency on private practitioners. The citizens of our nascent country needed all the support they could have from the government.

The Bhore Committee Report was eventually formulated into a full-fledged policy, the first National Health Policy (NHP), in 1983. The objective was to provide primary healthcare to one and all by the year 2000 through a network of primary healthcare services, an army of volunteers, a seamless referral system, and a network of specialty hospitals. But it soon became apparent that our healthcare system was not robust enough to cater to the needs of a burgeoning population.

Keeping this in mind the NHP-2 was formulated in 2002 to include the private healthcare industry and alternative medicine in the broader scheme of things. As it stands, the governance of the healthcare system in India is a responsibility shared by the Union and the State governments. Areas like public health and sanitation come under the purview of the states.

The Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare takes care of national-scale programs like family planning and welfare, prevention and control of major communicable diseases, promoting alternative medicine, setting guidelines for the states, etc. Grave issues concerning public health like epidemics, food adultery, and quality of manufactured drugs, are however taken care of by the Union and the State governments jointly. However, much work still needs to be done, particularly in the area of healthcare cost.

COST OF HEALTHCARE

Rising Cost of Treatment in India

Cost of healthcare has been on the rise in India since independence. This grim scenario is perhaps best reflected in the observations of Late. Shri Pranab Mukherjee, former President of India, during the 40th Annual Convention of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), held in New Delhi in 2012.

"I am shocked to note that as many as 4 crore people of our country plunge into poverty each year due to expenses on medical treatment...Yet, we should remember that the health services for the poor cannot be poor health services. We need to craft a high quality national health system that is used by the poor and the rich alike...Economic growth that does not go hand-in-hand with reduction in avoidable mortality and ill health is neither sustainable nor desirable", he reflected. He also expressed his deep concern about the fact that almost 80% of our people's healthcare expenditure was being met by "personal, out of pocket, payment."

ADVANCED TREATMENT

Has the scenario improved in 2022?

Over the last few decades, our country has witnessed major progress in the domain of medical technology and advanced healthcare. Treatment costs in India continue to be among the lowest in the world. This makes India a major medical-tourism destination for the people of other countries. But can Indians afford advanced treatment in their own country? The answer is 'No'.

India has the highest rate of medical inflation in Asia and it shot up to alarming levels during the COVID 19 pandemic. In 2021, medical inflation touched the redline of 14%. Medicines, operative procedures and Medical Insurance products have become increasingly more expensive. COVID 19 aside, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, diabetes, cancer, malaria, and diarrhoea continue to claim lives.

Advanced treatment and healthcare activity

HEALTHCARE SECTOR

The Silver Lining

Any grim scenario presents a nation with opportunities to improve the quality of life of its people. While the healthcare sector in India still suffers from burgeoning costs of treatment, several individuals and organisations have come forth with commendable initiatives to make our people's lives better. Through concerted efforts, these messiahs of humanity have made great strides in fields such as nutrition for children, hygiene, early diagnosis of ailments, installation of medical equipment in rural belts, and sourcing and distribution of low-cost medicines and treatment for the impoverished.

In fact, India was able to battle the Covid 19 pandemic with the help of the tireless efforts of several NGOs working in the health sector. The Yashraj Research Foundation seeks to honour such warriors, who continue to struggle against all odds to make healthcare more accessible to the citizens of India.

The Three Categories

Honouring Excellence in Three
Distinguished Categories