Dr. Alexander Thomas, Founder of the Association of Healthcare Providers India (AHPI), emphasized the urgent need for hospitals in India to adapt to climate change-linked health issues and adopt climate-smart healthcare systems to minimize environmental impact. He delivered his Presidential Address at AHPICON 2024, a conference on the sustainability and growth of the healthcare sector, held in Madurai. The conference highlighted ways to enhance the financial viability of hospitals in the country amidst the growing costs of power, tax, human resource, and technology, and the need for the government and regulators to rationalize insurance reimbursements, which currently cover only 60% of the cost of services provided to patients.
At AHPICON 2024, 15 hospitals of all sizes from Tamil Nadu received awards for their excellence in providing quality healthcare. Prof Mohammed Rela, a renowned surgeon and founder of Rela Hospital, Chennai, was awarded the Life Time Achievement award. Dr. Girdhar Gyani, Director General of AHPI, stated that the government is committed to universal coverage of healthcare services, and the private sector accounts for over 70% of healthcare services provided in the country. The aim is to increase the average lifespan of Indians to over 80 years, on par with countries like Japan and South Korea.
Dr. Sathish Devadoss, President of AHPI, Tamil Nadu, stressed the importance of adopting principles of environmental sustainability and financial growth for hospitals to overcome challenges and deliver quality healthcare for the well-being of the community. He also emphasized the need for the government to support private hospitals in terms of bringing down electricity costs and helping them acquire land and finance at low cost.
Dr. Raju Sivasamy, Organising Chairman of AHPICON 2024, highlighted the increasing cost of healthcare, including electricity, corporation tax, manpower salary and training costs, and medical equipment. He urged hospitals to focus on innovation to increase productivity and cost savings.