Annual Report 2007 - Observer Research Foundation

A joint programme with Asia Society, NewYork
is being planned for this year around the theme
US-India Healthcare Partnerships for the Future:
Global Solutions to Local Issues
Next Decade’ held in Kolkata in September 2006. ORF was returning to Kolkata after fifteen years with
a conference that was to mark the launch of its China Studies Programme. The interest shown by the Government
of West Bengal raised the possibility of ORF establishing an India-China Centre in Kolkata.
The US Studies Programme of ORF has been an important initiative, particularly in view of the growing
India-U.S. cooperation in many areas. In this connection, ORF commissioned a report on establishing
an ORF entity in the US and to outline the required steps that would allow the institution to access intellectual
and financial resources as well as interact with opinion leaders and policy makers there. The report
was meant to generate some real thinking on the process of expanding ORF into the U.S. by providing
some guidelines on the major issues to consider, including the opportunities and hard challenges that the
ORF may face. The report that has been submitted by the consultant suggests the possible focus for the
institution, offers strategies to build audience, engage scholars, and cultivate the media. It also identifies a
potential advisory committee and provides some funding strategies. It lays out a plan of action for ORF to
embark on for its immediate next steps.
Through meetings, conferences, publications and scholarly exchanges, the ORF’s strength
in this rapidly emerging field will be to contribute unique Indian perspectives on critical
global issues that will help policy debates in the two capitals. The ORF will stand at a
juncture that will serve the policy community on both continents with the necessary
and reliable information and insights and access that is now much sought after and most
urgently required.
To spark this process in the US, a joint programme with Asia Society, NewYork is being
planned for later this year. The objective is to conduct a one-day workshop of thought
leaders from India and the United States on strategic and policy issues related to the globalization of the
healthcare industry. The workshop is being organized around the theme “US-India Healthcare Partnerships
for the Future: Global Solutions to Local Issues”. The outcome of the workshop will be identification
of common concerns, policy recommendations for both countries, areas for further study and future actions.
A public panel will precede the workshop on affordability of healthcare for urban and rural areas.
The healthcare industry is transforming itself through increased globalization, competition, cost consciousness,
regulations and new technologies. India has become far more integrated with the global healthcare
industry especially as a preferred high quality supplier of pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, informatics,
data management and elective surgeries. A new mutual dependency has been created between India and
the United States in Healthcare. This has resulted in the need for a new approach to globalization that
coordinates public policy and firm level strategies in both countries. This workshop is intended to provide
just such a forum for the creation of an informed common policy and guidelines. It is also expected that
this interaction will be followed up with the development of a research agenda for ORF in the area of
healthcare.
OVERVIEW
Annual Report 2007 ◆ Observer Research Foundation
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