Bengal, BCCI to explore PPP in health sector

Kolkata, Oct 24 (UNI) The West Bengal government and Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) would explore various private-public partnership (PPP) modules in the three day "Health and Lifestyle Show 2006" from October 27.

"The basic idea is to involve top notch private players in the health industry, including super speciality hospitals, to chip in and provide specified health care services to the common man at a price that he can afford," BCCI president Alok Mookerjea told reporters here today.

Representatives from the state government and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), who were partners in the event, would join the representatives from World Health Organisation and big names in the medical world like Mrs Sangeeta Reddy of Apollo Hospitals, Dr Devi Shetty of Rabindranath Tagore International Institute of Cardiology, Dr Soma Raju of CARE Hospital in the PPP Summit.

Some of the PPP modules have been prepared by Price Waterhouse Cooper, BCCI's knowledge partner.

BCCI's health sub-committee chairman Dr Amit Ghose said matters relating to health insurance and awareness creation for lifestyle disorders would also be discussed in the seminar.

Mr Mookerjea said the chamber had earlier taken the initiative to get Global Hospitals to come to Kolkata and subsequently Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had promised to look for land for the project involving 750 bed multi speciality and multi organ transplant hospital costing Rs 250 crore in the city.

At least 10 per cent of the beds would be reserved for the poorer sections of the people, Mookerjea added.

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