Reforming Public Health: Lessons From India Pharma Inc

The pharma industry, one of the key stakeholders of public health, have a huge responsibility to ‘do good’ and ‘be part of the solution’.

- Lakshmipriya Nair

Improving public health is a development priority for India, but while the country has made some noteworthy advances in this sphere, mammoth challenges remain to be conquered. And, it is growingly evident that only a strong and sustainable partnership across the entire health value chain can be the solution to tackle them.

Therefore, as India’s focus on health intensifies and the government drafts ambitious plans to make its population healthy, we would also have to take the pharma sector’s perspective to ensure access and quality in public health. Hence, one of the major discussions at the 4th edition of Healthcare Sabha - The National Thought Leadership Forum on Public Health was on ‘The Path Ahead in Public Health – A Pharma Perspective’.

An eminent panel comprising Viveka Roychowdhury, Editor, Express Healthcare and Express Pharma (Moderator); N Rajaram, MD, Sanofi India; Umang Vohra, MD and Global CEO, Cipla; Anuja Kadian, Head, Government Affairs, AstraZeneca Pharma India; AG Prasad, VP - Cluster Head, Sales & Marketing, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, came together to highlight several pertinent factors such as access to medicines, drug pricing, patents and intellectual property, government policies and means to achieve UHC. Roychowdhury steered the discussion through the companies’ latest initiatives on increasing access, affordability and quality of medicines, healthcare in India; the panelists’ views on Ayushman Bharat and measures to make it successful, and the role of the pharma sector in Ayushman Bharat and other government initiatives.

Let’s examine a few of the most important insights shared by them and how can they be applied effectively to transform our public health system for the better.

Strategic investments are key to improve public health – N Rajaram