Pranav Chandna, Director, Solutions, (PPP, Design, Consulting, LSP) – Philips -Indian subcontinent spoke on the future of PPPs in India. He started by elaborating on Philips’ offerings in this arena. Based on the company’s experience, he shared ways through which advantages of PPP can be maximised in healthcare delivery. He highlighted that PPP in India is not a new way of working, rather it is a well accepted model. Currently, we have established PPP units in government, we have new sources of funds and we are using PPP as an extension of multiple markets and sectors. He pointed out that earlier PPP models were used more in the core infrastructure, but as health is taking a priority, social infrastructure – be it health or education- is going to be administered in a big way through PPP. He stated the different roles played by both private and the public sector and suggested that the best solution to overcome the shortcoming is through PPPs. After speaking about the enablers, he threw light on some constraints associated with PPP, which create difficulty for private partners to enter the space. He mentioned that the time required for approval is highly detrimental for the private sector, the bank ability and self sustainability off these projects are also major constraints. He added that delay in payments from the government authorities as well as contractual confusions are present. Another issue is the medico-legal liabilities and litigations, which needs to be resolved so that there is an increase in participation. He opined on the role of effective PPPs in driving public healthcare reforms in the country. He also spoke on the factors that come into play while formulation of policies to create a successful PPP venture in healthcare. He identified that there are five pillars for a successful, scalable and sustainable PPP model i,e. financial viability, bidder selection, quality, contract, technology. He stressed on ensuring transparent pricing and sustainable cash flows.
He concluded by sharing Philips contribution to PPPs in India informing about the various partnerships across India.