Hospitals not prepared for healthcare surge

The chairman of Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA), J Hari Narayan, said on Tuesday that hospitals are not geared up to match expansion in the healthcare insurance sector.

The chairman of Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA), J Hari Narayan, said on Tuesday that hospitals are not geared up to match expansion in the healthcare insurance sector.

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Speaking at the conference convened by Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) to discuss the road ahead for the health insurance industry, Narayan said, “The capacity of our hospitals is inadequate to provide healthcare if there is a marginal increase in health insurance coverage.” The Rs 5,125 crore health insurance sector covers a mere 2 per cent of the population.

Dr Pratap Reddy, chairman of Apollo Hospitals Group said healthcare industry could be the single largest employment provider, and suggested changing projection of health insurance industry from illness insurance to wellness insurance.