Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in partnership with Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Karnataka is organizing a one-day Conference on ‘Accessibility and Availability of Quality Healthcare for All’ on August 3, 2011 at the Regency I, Hotel ITC Windsor, Bangalore.

Karnataka’s Minister for Health and Family Welfare Sri B Sriramulu, will be the  Chief Guest and deliver the ‘Inaugural Address’ during the event.

The objective of the event is to discuss and explore opportunities and challenges associated in making the high quality healthcare affordable and accessible to all the people of Karnataka. It would bring the Government, Hospitals, Nursing Homes, Diagnostic Labs, Healthcare Consultancy Providers, Academia, Research Institutions, Health Insurance Companies, Financers, Medical Devices & Equipments Firms and NGOs together at a common platform for interaction with the policy makers.

A large part of healthcare remains concentrated in big cities, leaving the rural population wanting. A vast majority of the people are still unable to access quality healthcare. This disparity could be bridged by granting ‘priority status’ to the healthcare sector and greater incentive to expand into the country’s second tier towns. This divide can be bridged, when the government and private sector work together to bring reliability, affordability and accessibility, according to the organizers.

The State’s department of Health and Family Welfare Service is providing  preventive, curative, promotive and rehabilitative health care mostly at primary and secondary level. The tertiary level of health care is given by the Medical College Institutions and Private or Corporate Hospitals. These preventive and curative health care is provided to the people through 8870 sub-centres, located at small villages, 2310 Primary Health Centres, 180 Community Health Centres, 146 Taluka Hospitals and 17 District hospitals. The total strength of personnel  involved in this yeoman service is 44,000. All the communicable diseases are prevented, controlled and specifically treated under various National Health Programmes. State specific communicable diseases are also taken care of.