New advance in healthcare collaboration between CII and USIBC announced

Nov 6 2009

The Confederation of Indian Industry and the U.S.-India Business Council today announced a major new advance in healthcare collaboration, partnering under the banner of the USIBC-led “Coalition for Healthy India”. The partnership was announced on the sidelines of CII’s 6^th Annual Healthcare Summit, which was attended by a delegation of senior healthcare executives from the headquarters of several USIBC member companies.

The Coalition for Healthy India, managed by the US India Business Council, is dedicated to ensuring that Indian patients have access to the latest and most effective treatments and cures. It was created in 2007 to bring together like-minded members of the U.S. and Indian business communities, non-governmental organizations, patient advocacy organizations and health professionals to coordinate and support improved access to healthcare in India.

According to Mr. Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, Confederation of Indian Industry: “The Confederation of Indian Industry and the U.S.-India Business Council have long collaborated to support healthcare improvements in India. Today, we’re proud to announce an exclusive partnership between USIBC and CII in the form of a joint CII-USIBC Healthcare Task Force”.

Sharing the dais was Dr. Petra Laux, Head of Global Public Affairs, Novartis. “At Novartis, we’re driven every day by a commitment to research and development that brings innovative new products to the communities we serve. This aligns seamlessly with the number one goal of the Coalition for Healthy India – ensuring that Indian patients have access to the latest and best treatments and cures. The partnership announced with CII today will lift the Coalition for Healthy India to new heights”.

Dr. Prathap C Reddy, Chairman CII National Committee on Healthcare & Chairman of Apollo Hospitals Group, noted that the healthcare systems of the U.S. and India have much to learn from one another. “The partnership we’re announcing under the Coalition for Healthy India brings together the foremost healthcare innovators from two of the world’s most dynamic societies. This will not only have a positive impact on patients in India, it will benefit patients around the globe”.

The Coalition for Healthy India focuses on five key pillars: raising the standard of care; developing new treatments and cures; ensuring access and affordability; getting medicine to patients; and corporate social responsibility. All of these efforts are channeled with a particular emphasis on improving the situation in rural areas where more than 60% of Indians live and work.

The Coalition for Healthy India Healthcare Task Force will serve as an advisory council which guides and coordinates USIBC and CII efforts towards improving healthcare in India. The Task Force will be chaired on the Indian side by Dr. Prathap C. Reddy and on the U.S. side by Dr. Vas Narasimhan, Head, Vaccines North America, President, Vaccines USA, Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics, and board member of the U.S.-India Business Council.

Dr. John D. Ayres, Director, Product Health Risk Assessments, Eli Lilly and Company, stated: “The Coalition for Healthy India is poised to have a major impact on issues that are important to patients. This collaboration between USIBC and CII means that healthcare innovators in the U.S. and India will now have a permanent forum in which to share and generate new ideas and ultimately help implement solutions to the healthcare challenges facing all of us.”

Coalition for Healthy India brings together like-minded members of the U.S. and Indian business communities, non-governmental organizations, patient advocacy organizations and health professionals to coordinate and support improved access to healthcare in India.

Confederation of Indian Industry is a non-government, not-for-profit, industry led and industry managed organization, playing a proactive role in India's development process. Founded over 114 years ago, it is India's premier business association, with a direct membership of over 7800 organizations from the private as well as public sectors, including SMEs and MNCs, and an indirect membership of over 90,000 companies from around 385 national and regional sectoral associations.

CII catalyses change by working closely with government on policy issues, enhancing efficiency, competitiveness and expanding business opportunities for industry through a range of specialized services and global linkages. It also provides a platform for sectoral consensus building and networking. Major emphasis is laid on projecting a positive image of business, assisting industry to identify and execute corporate citizenship programmes. Partnerships with over 120 NGOs across the country carry forward our initiatives in integrated and inclusive development, which include health, education, livelihood, diversity management, skill development and water, to name a few.

The U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC), formed in 1975 at the request of the Government of India and the U.S. Government to deepen trade and strengthen commercial ties is hosted under the aegis of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business federation representing more than 3 million businesses and organizations of every size, sector and region.