BIHAR : Policy to woo private investors for hospitals

PATNA: Chief minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday announced a state policy which would soon be finalized to encourage private investments in healthcare sector in Bihar. "The policy would aim at wooing private players to open specialty, superspecialty, multispecialty and medical college and hospitals in the state," Kumar said at a meeting convened to review the proposed investment policy for health sector.

Under the policy, term loans, which are usually repaid in up to ten years, would be made available from banks to open hospitals. Subsidy will be given to investors for paying interest on the loans. However, they would have to buy land on their own.

There would also be provisions for incentives such as 100% exemption from stamp duty and registration fees during the preproduction phase, subsidy on equipment, 80% reimbursement against the VAT, reimbursement of 50% of the amount spent on power backup and reimbursement of expenses incurred on project reports and quality certification, among others

The CM said proper investments, if they come, would be a boon for the state as it would lead to availability of world-class health services. The needy will not have to go to far-flung places, he added.

Sources said the superspecialty hospitals would have nephrology, urology, renal transplant, endocrinology, gastroenterology, gastrointestinal surgery, liver transplant, oncology, gynaecology ophthalmology and orthopaedic departments. Patients belonging to the BPL category and the likes will have to be treated at subsidised rates at these hospitals. Other details are being worked out, the sources said and added the government would also offer subsidy to existing private hospitals for improving their infrastructure.

Health secretary Anand Kishor clarified the hospitals could not be opened in industrial estates such as areas belonging to BIADA because of the pollution threat. Commercial taxes and disaster management officials also attended the review meeting.