Rockland develops a PPP model targeting rural patients

Rockland Group of Hospitals has developed a ‘unique’ Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) system in the sector focussing on rural patients. According to the Delhi-based chain of healthcare providers, primary discussions with States such as Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana and Orissa are over on a PPP model, which is beyond land and buildings.

Talking to Business Line , Chairman and Managing Director Rajesh Srivastava said rather than investing on land and building, the Government should invest on the cost of healthcare to a patient.

“Private hospitals like us can build facilities such as buildings and install better equipments. What we need from the Government is an assurance that payments will be made on time,” Srivastava said.

According to him, Government has vast resources at its command, which can be leveraged to create a health care model that can effectively cover even those who are below the poverty line. “Private sector has the entrepreneurial and managerial capability to leverage these resources in an economically and socially sustainable way. A combo of the two will work, provided there is a shared vision and a clearly defined set of roles, responsibilities and deliverables with a monitoring system,” he said.

The PPP model Rockland has offered to State Governments includes a transparent monitoring system with access to the hospital information system to monitor the deliverables. “We have developed such a monitoring mechanism for more than 400 districts in the North and North Eastern districts of the country, patients and doctors are connected through a web-based application,” he said.

He said the Government can ensure NABH and NABL certified quality services to the patients. The model also offers rate agreements for Government employees, insurance coverage for BPL patients. “Other patients will be managed by the private partner according to the market realities,” he added.

Srivastava said the insurance companies have their own mechanisms for ensuring their interests and the patient’s interests. “All that is needed is a minor modification to the Government systems to ensure a quick response system to avoid delays in decisions and payment cycles,” he added.

He said the existing resources with the Governments could be effectively used for the rural population, who is deprived of a good healthcare system. “Private players can not scale up due to the spiralling cost of land and other inputs which seriously impacts their capacity to create volumes for generating surpluses,” he said and added that without the operational expenses primary care may be totally ignored unless there is a model to rope in doctors with the help of a private hospital chain with some assured income and the scope to grow their practice.

>jigeesh.am@thehindu.co.in

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