Improve traditional healthcare system: Sam Pitroda

New Delhi, Nov 5 : Brushing aside the Western healthcare system, Sam Pitroda, chairman of the National Knowledge Commission (NKC) Thursday said the traditional Indian healthcare system must be improved because it caters to the masses.

In his keynote address at the sixth India Health Summit in the capital, Pitroda said: "For a comprehensive solution to our healthcare shortcomings, we need to adopt the traditional Indian model in the healthcare system".

"The Indian healthcare system reaches out to the bottom of the pyramid while the Western method of healthcare reaches only the top of the pyramid," he added.

Titled "Taking Quality Healthcare to the Masses", the two-day summit was organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

Stressing the need to focus on healthcare education and research facilities related to the subject, Pitroda said the key is to lay out a plan to implement the target.

"There should be working groups set up at the state and district level in order to ensure wider reach of healthcare facilities. If we do not have a plan ready for the state and district levels, we can expect little success in this regard," Pitroda said.

"There is a lot of potential in the sector, but it's time we needed a comprehensive approach in taking quality and affordable healthcare facilities to the grassroots level," he added.