Thiruvananthapuram: Centre would soon set up a Task Force to prepare a vision document for transforming India into a health destination, Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Sushma Swaraj said on September 27.

The document would take into account the achievements of Kerala in health sector, she told reporters at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state office in Thiruvanathapuram.

The task force would visit Kerala to study its achievements in the field with a view to emulating the state example to in parts of the country, she said.

Kerala had earned a name by promoting health tourism based on Ayurveda and its acceptability was on increase in Western countries, she said.

Allaying fears that prices of drugs would increase once the World Trade Organisation (WTO) regime comes into force in 2005, she said as part of the WTO pact there would be a compulsory licensing system and government would have the right to ask drug manufactures not to hike prices. The compulsory licensing system was an integral part of WTO agreement, she added.

Government feels that drugs were expensive and beyond the reach of common people and would ask the manufacturers not to hike medicine prices, she said.

To a question on the soft-drinks issue, she said Centre could think of a legislation with regard to quality and standard of soft drinks only after the joint parliamentary committee probing the matter submitted its report and court verdict.

PTI