New Delhi, Dec 17 (IANS): The health ministry's National Health Assurance Mission will reduce the health care expenditure of Indian citizens and will also aim to provide health care at their doorstep, union Minister of State for Health Shripad Yesso Naik said Wednesday.

He said there was an urgent need for providing health care services to the needy in the country that will be possible once the National Health Assurance Mission is rolled out in 2015.

"Efforts are being made to reduce the out-of-pocket expenses on health care by the common man in the country, that is substantial. The National Health Assurance Mission (NHAM) is a noteworthy step in this direction," Naik said.

He was speaking at the 11th India Health Summit organised here by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). The theme of the summit was "Health for All: Call for Action".

Under NHAM, the health ministry aims to effectively use technology to bridge geographical distances.

"Telemedicine is being used to address the constraints and challenges of the terrain in the country," he said.

He added that the role of every stakeholder (private and public health firms) was important in reaching out and providing health care to the needy.

He also highlighted the role played by the National Health Mission and the Universal Immunisation Programme, which has effectively lowered the incidence of dreaded diseases among children and mothers.

"Preventive and promotive healthcare; provisioning of free essential drugs, diagnostics and health care services; and strengthening the tertiary tier are some of the important areas that it will focus upon," Health Secretary Lov Verma said.

"The key concerns in health care of the country are equity, affordability, accessibility and quality," he said and added that India has to stem the high infant mortality rate.