Healthcare has become one of India’s largest sector, both in terms of revenue and employment. Healthcare comprises hospitals, medical devices, clinical trials, outsourcing, telemedicine, medical tourism, health insurance and medical equipment. The Indian healthcare sector is growing at a brisk pace due to its strengthening coverage, services and increasing expenditure by public as well private players.
Indian healthcare delivery system is categorised into two major components public and private. The Government, i.e. public healthcare system, comprises limited secondary and tertiary care institutions in key cities and focuses on providing basic healthcare facilities in the form of primary healthcare centres (PHCs) in rural areas. The private sector provides majority of secondary, tertiary, and quaternary care institutions with major concentration in metros and tier I and tier II cities.
India's competitive advantage lies in its large pool of well-trained medical professionals. India is also cost competitive compared to its peers in Asia and Western countries. The cost of surgery in India is about one-tenth of that in the US or Western Europe. India ranks 145 among 195 countries in terms of quality and accessibility of healthcare.
Market Size
The healthcare market can increase three-fold to Rs. 8.6 trillion (US$ 133.44 billion) by 2022.
Indian medical tourism market is growing at 18% y-o-y and is expected to reach US$ 9 billion by 2020. There is a significant scope for enhancing healthcare services considering that healthcare spending as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is rising. The Government’s expenditure on healthcare sector has grown to 1.6% of the GDP in FY20BE from 1.3% in FY16.
Health insurance is gaining momentum in India. Gross direct premium income underwritten by health insurance grew 17.16% y-o-y to Rs. 51,637.84 crore (US$ 7.39 billion) in FY20.
Investment
Between April 2000 and September 2020, FDI inflows for drugs and pharmaceuticals sector stood at US$ 16.87 billion, according to the data released by Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). Some of the recent initiatives in the Indian healthcare industry are as follows:
Government Initiatives
Some of the major initiatives taken by the Government of India to promote Indian healthcare industry are as follows:
Achievements
Following are the achievements of the Government:
Road Ahead
India is a land full of opportunities for players in the medical devices industry. The country has also become one of the leading destinations for high-end diagnostic services with tremendous capital investment for advanced diagnostic facilities, thus catering to a greater proportion of population. Besides, Indian medical service consumers have become more conscious towards their healthcare upkeep.
Indian healthcare sector is much diversified and is full of opportunities in every segment, which includes providers, payers, and medical technology. With the increase in the competition, businesses are looking to explore for the latest dynamics and trends which will have positive impact on their business. The hospital industry in India is forecast to increase to Rs. 8.6 trillion (US$ 132.84 billion) by FY22 from Rs. 4 trillion (US$ 61.79 billion) in FY17 at a CAGR of 16–17%.
The Government of India is planning to increase public health spending to 2.5% of the country's GDP by 2025.
India's competitive advantage also lies in the increased success rate of Indian companies in getting Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) approvals. India also offers vast opportunities in R&D as well as medical tourism. To sum up, there are vast opportunities for investment in healthcare infrastructure in both urban and rural India.
Note: Conversion rate used for December 2020 is Rs. 1 = US$ 0.014
References: Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), RNCOS Reports, Media Reports, Press Information Bureau (PIB)
Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.
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