Effective and affordable healthcare is a basic necessity for a growing economy. For a country as large as India, the government alone cannot take care of its people’s health and the private sector needs to step in to take the load off the government-run institutions.
It is not surprising, then, that private healthcare is a booming business in India. Private players, incidentally, are accountable to their shareholders, too, while keeping their commitment towards society at the core. They, therefore, need to deliberate on issues such as how to make healthcare more accessible to masses and yet, keep the industry profitable. Or how the sector needs to evolve keeping a consumer-centric service model at its core while also honouring the traditionally-held values of healthcare services and products?
While mature players need to plan for growth by diversifying into new territories and services, smaller players need to find a niche for themselves or spot the gaps in the industry.
In the midst of all this are investors who are constantly looking for good ideas and people to bet their money on.
News Corp VCCircle has been bringing together the old and the new entrepreneurs in the healthcare sector along with investors for the past seven years now to discuss the issues concerning the industry. Building on the tremendous success of the previous years, the eighth annual edition of the Healthcare Investment Summit took off in Mumbai on Wednesday morning. The two-day event this time focuses on the theme of ‘Growth in Indian healthcare - where do the investment opportunities lie?’
A healthcare startup showcase session, panel discussions on issues concerning the sector alongside the unveiling of a research report by management consultancy Alvarez and Marsal will be part of the first day of the session.
Leading private equity and venture capital investors, healthcare entrepreneurs, professionals and management representatives of large hospital and pharmaceutical companies are participating in the two-day event. Some leading names include Gautam Khanna, CEO, Hinduja Group; Velumani Arokiaswamy, CEO, Thyrocare; Anupam Verma, president, Wockhardt Hospitals; Siddharth Dhondiyal, managing director, India Value Fund Advisors; Sohil Chand, managing director, Norwest Venture Partners; and Aditya Sharma, senior partner, Unitus Seed Fund.
These stalwarts, among others, have come together on the VCCircle platform to meet, network and share their thoughts on shaping India’s healthcare industry. Watch this space for more on news from the summit. And, tweet your thoughts to us @vccircleevents using our event hashtag #VCCHealth.