Health Care Investment Policy to boost medical tourism, infra

Launched to encourage private parties and entrepreneurs to set up healthcare infrastructure in the Union Territory, the Jammu and Kashmir Health Care Investment Policy will yield better results in future and will also give a boost to Medical Tourism.

“The Health Care Policy will attract investments from all over the world and the investment has been aimed to provide quality and better healthcare to the citizens of Jammu and Kashmir,” a health official said.

Stating that the healthcare sector in Jammu and Kashmir has shown significant progress in terms of improving infrastructure, manpower and health system, the official said that the health care investment policy will further strengthen and enhance access to primary, secondary and tertiary care facilities.

Despite the COVID situation, he said that the health and the medical sector played a key role in Jammu and Kashmir in attracting global investments in the health care sector.

“In J&K, where the private sector is still non-existent and about 80 percent of the health facilities are provided by the public sector,” he said, adding that overcrowding in government health institutions has compromised the quality of care.

“In the government run institutions, out-of-pocket expenses are high because the patients have to buy medicines and other essential items from the market but this policy will cover all the aspects and will provide great relief to the local population,” he claimed.

The health care investment policy will improve access to quality health services to the people, he added.
“Establishment of hospital, medical and allied educational infrastructure will get a boost,” said an official adding that in Jammu and Kashmir, special attention is being given to three areas, prevention, better treatment and care.

“The focus of the government is not only to build the best private hospitals in Jammu and Srinagar, but also to build small health related infrastructure especially the hospitals,” he narrated.
The main features of the health care investment policy include multi-specialty and super-specialty hospitals, medical, nursing and paramedical colleges, he divulged.

“A subsidy of 30 percent is included on the capital investment to be given for the establishment while the policy also includes interest subsidy at the rate of 5 per cent per annum on loans for a period of five years from the date of commissioning of the project,” he asserted.