Pre budget expectation, Murli Nair, EnY

Indian healthcare scenario significantly lags behind other comparable developing economies like BRIC countries and more importantly healthcare is still accessible to the few in urban India and is affordable to fewer. In our opinion, indian healthcare is in an urgent need for a holistic transformation and key enablers would be:

1. Govt's focus on preventive and promotive measure both at Rural and Urban level. In this regard greater focus on the implementation of NRHM (only 60 percent of the planned expenditure has been incurred in the last 5 years) and kick start of NUMH will be critical.

2.Increased allocation of Budget on health financing particularly for BPL population. This will mean extended coverage of Rajiv Gandhi Swasthya Bima Yojana and also PPP schemes aimed at improving affordability.

3. 10 year tax holiday for Private Healthcare projects that are focussed on improving access and affordability. This will typically cover two

charactersitics:

A. projects in areas with high healthcare supply demand gap like rural areas and even urban areas in BIMARU states.

B. Any mass healthcare project whether based in rural or urban. Mass healthcare project can be defined as projects with a certain large size and with poorer section of society as the target market.

In conclusion, I will be happy to see the Government health spending increasing to between 1.5 -2 percent of GDP from the current 1 percent