Healthcare sector is the largest employer in the country today and government should grant industry status to this sector as improvement of healthcare is fundamental to the growth of the economy, according to Vishal Bali, Conference Chairman, National Service Sector Conclave and CEO, Wockhardt Hospitals Group.

The National Service Sector Conclave which is scheduled to be held in Hyderabad on October 9, 2007 with a theme as 'Healthcare Services: Next Practices & Mantras for Survival'.

"As a fast growing economy we need to focus on the healthcare sector. Today, the healthcare expenditure in the country is 5.2 per cent of India's GDP and only 0.9 per cent of its gross expenditure, which is the lowest in the world. For a long time the healthcare industry has been considered as an unorganized industry with doctors turning entrepreneurs. As a fast growing economy we need to focus on this sector, stated Bali.

"There is a huge need for investments to improve access to basic healthcare and fill the shortfall of approximate 800 thousand beds in the country," he added.

Emphasizing the role of CII IQ, According to S.K Kakkar, Head, CII Institute of Quality, said, "The upcoming conclave aims to bring together different voices from the industry so we collectively can take measures to not only improve reach but also improve the quality levels and provide healthcare services to a large section of society at an affordable cost."

"Development of States is closely linked to the growth in literacy levels and overall wellness levels of the country. A shinning India needs to focus and improve both these requirements to surge forward," he added.

The conclave chairman Bali also highlighted the role of accreditation in the industry. He said, "With the launch of National Accreditation Board for Hospitals (NABH), there is now a benchmark. India needs to move aggressively towards achieving these levels of quality in the primary, secondary and tertiary segments. This should be done across the spectrum of healthcare development in the country. We should be able to penetrate the entire spectrum of the sector.

"Good managerial practices, which have been very successfully deployed in industry, need to be applied to healthcare. This will lead to improvement in quality and productivity of healthcare services. The adoption of best practices such as Total Quality Management, Total Productive Maintenance, Six Sigma and Balance Scorecard Models have led to an improvement in patient care, higher utilization of operation theatres and diagnostic equipments, leading to shorter stay in hospitals. These are already being used well in some hospitals such as Narayana Hrudalaya, Shankar Hrudalaya, Workhardt Hospitals amongst others, stated Kakkar.

This upcoming National Service Sector Conclave will highlight the opportunities in healthcare industry and draw a road map for the future growth. The conference will be presided over by Aruna Kumari Galla, Minister for Medical Education & health insurance, Government of Andhra Pradesh, and Dr Pratap C Reddy, Chairman, Apollo Hospitals.