Why India needs more mohalla clinics
5 years, 1 month ago

Why India needs more mohalla clinics

Live Mint  

Both rural and urban households spend twice as much on outpatient or non-hospitalisation healthcare costs as they do on hospitalisations, data from a new National Sample Survey report shows. India has one of the world’s highest proportions of out-of-pocket health expenditure, and the expense per hospitalisation can be catastrophically high, especially for the poor. In general poorer people report lower levels of ailments and hospitalisations, implying that India’s most marginalised groups are still far from accessing required levels of healthcare, and skewing the numbers downwards. “For medical treatment that does not require hospitalisation, we have set up over 300 mohalla clinics where 212 lab tests, diagnostics and medicines are all provided free of cost,” says Jasmine Shah, vice-chairperson of the Delhi Dialogue and Development Commission, a think-tank that helps the Delhi government frame policies. For Ayushman Bharat, the insurance scheme has received the most attention, but “the second component of it is the creation of 150,000 Health and Wellness Centres across the country,” says Ravi.

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History of this topic

Hospitals stretched, home is where future of Indian healthcare could be
1 week ago

Hospitals stretched, home is where future of Indian healthcare could be

India Today  

With hospitals in India overburdened and medical costs rising exponentially, out-of-hospital care promises to change how patients will be served. A NITI Aayog research suggests home-based healthcare care can reduce hospital expenses by 20 per cent and non-urgent hospital visits by 65 per cent, helping unburden the healthcare system of financial and operational pressures. Treatment outcomes: Besides cost-efficiency, out-of-hospital care …

Soaring inflation pushes up health insurance premiums; makes standardised care costlier
2 weeks, 5 days ago

Soaring inflation pushes up health insurance premiums; makes standardised care costlier

The Hindu  

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, India is witnessing a surge in healthcare cost inflation, making assured and standardised healthcare unviable for several sections of the society and pushing up health insurance premiums. Speaking to The Hindu, Sumit Bohra, president of the Insurance Brokers Association of India notes that currently in India, rising healthcare costs and growing health insurance premiums are feeding …

The challenge of universal health coverage
3 weeks, 2 days ago

The challenge of universal health coverage

The Hindu  

The ongoing national conversation on what India needs to do for universal health coverage often misses the complexity of multiple health systems and the unique challenges they bring. Not the solution Government health expenditure in West Bengal, which was ₹1,346 per capita in 2019-20, is only about 61% of the estimated ₹2,205 required to offer UHC. The story is no …

Hospital beds, specialists: Why health takes centre stage in Maharashtra's poll promises
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Hospital beds, specialists: Why health takes centre stage in Maharashtra's poll promises

India Today  

Maharashtra Assembly Election 2024 has a flood of poll promises in the field of healthcare. The National Profile 2023 shows that Maharashtra has the lowest number of government hospitals in terms of per capita population and the number of beds for every lakh population in the state is almost equal to that in Bihar. While Himachal Pradesh has 222 beds …

India Needs to Spend More on Healthcare Says Ex-RBI Gov
1 month, 3 weeks ago

India Needs to Spend More on Healthcare Says Ex-RBI Gov

Deccan Chronicle  

Mumbai: India needs to urgently increase its spending on healthcare and education for accelerating the country’s progress, former Reserve Bank of India governor C Rangarajan said on Friday. He said that India’s healthcare expenditure is currently less than 2 per cent of its GDP, and the government must urgently increase it. Speaking at the ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education, Rangarajan …

Kerala spends highest out-of-pocket expenditure on health in India
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Kerala spends highest out-of-pocket expenditure on health in India

New Indian Express  

KOCHI: Increased incidence of lifestyle diseases and high cost of diagnostic tests, coupled with the disappearance of not-for-profit hospitals and people’s reluctance to opt for government medical institutions have pushed Kerala’s out-of-pocket expenses in healthcare to the highest among states, a recent survey has revealed. As per the Comprehensive Annual Modular Survey 2022-23 by the National Sample Survey Office under …

Evolution of the health care policy framework in India
4 months ago

Evolution of the health care policy framework in India

Hindustan Times  

This paper traces the history of the evolution of India’s health care policy framework, focusing on its major objectives, challenges faced, and outcomes emerged. The key themes prevalent across most of these policies and specific initiatives included: increasing public health spending and reducing out-of-pocket or catastrophic health spending; addressing rural-urban inequalities in healthcare; developing primary health care; and achieving universal …

The burden of health care on India’s poorest
4 months, 4 weeks ago

The burden of health care on India’s poorest

Hindustan Times  

In recent years, the Indian government has made significant strides in reducing the burden of health expenditure on the common citizen. A particular focus of the government has been to reduce the burden of severe economic shocks due to “catastrophic” health care expenditure such as hospitalisation. In order to understand the character of catastrophic health expenditure, Artha Global’s Centre for …

The imperative for fair and sustainable treatment costs
7 months, 2 weeks ago

The imperative for fair and sustainable treatment costs

Hindustan Times  

The ministry of health's recent initiative to engage private hospitals in consultations on standardising treatment costs reflects a groundbreaking moment in India's health care ecosystem. Balancing accessibility and affordability while maintaining quality standards remains a critical challenge that health care providers and policymakers must address to ensure equitable health care access for all. One of the key challenges in health …

Rise in public health spending due to States, not Centre
7 months, 2 weeks ago

Rise in public health spending due to States, not Centre

The Hindu  

Public spending on health in India has historically remained low. Note: Union government spending includes spending by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Min of AYUSH Furthermore, a significant part of the increase in health investment as a percentage of GDP during the pandemic needs to be attributed to the negative and low growth of GDP, while absolute increase …

Need to have more doctors, hospital beds to achieve healthcare vision 2047: Report
7 months, 3 weeks ago

Need to have more doctors, hospital beds to achieve healthcare vision 2047: Report

Deccan Chronicle  

New Delhi: There is a need to increase the number of qualified doctors to more than 50 lakh and also add 30 lakh more hospital beds in the country in order to achieve India's healthcare vision 2047, according to a report.The increase in the number of doctors and beds in hospitals would help India get closer to the average of …

As cancer cases rise, how can India improve access to care?
7 months, 3 weeks ago

As cancer cases rise, how can India improve access to care?

India Today  

India has one of the highest cancer burdens in the world. With one in every nine Indians expected to undergo cancer diagnosis in their lifetime, Malti Sachdev, senior managing director of cancer care technology brand Varian, explains why public-private partnerships are essential for accessible treatment. Roughly 70 per cent of the population resides in rural areas and faces a significant …

A case for cancer care
11 months ago

A case for cancer care

New Indian Express  

KOCHI: Cancer incidence in India is estimated to be 19 to 22 lakhs in 2022 while actual incidence may be 1.5 to 3 times higher. For example, in Telangana, there is only one regional cancer institute, MNJ Cancer Hospital with very long wait to see a clinician, a longer time to diagnose because of high burden of cases and a …

What lies in Kejriwal's Budget?
11 months ago

What lies in Kejriwal's Budget?

New Indian Express  

As the Delhi government gears up to present its budget for the fiscal year 2024-25 in February, expectations are running high among the residents. Residents are hoping for increased funding for hospitals, clinics, and medical facilities, as well as initiatives to strengthen the public healthcare system and improve access to healthcare for all sections of society. However, the department made …

Union Budget: Healthcare challenges and how the government can navigate them
11 months, 1 week ago

Union Budget: Healthcare challenges and how the government can navigate them

Firstpost  

The healthcare industry has always been the core of any flourishing civilisation. Modern medical challenges Public expenditure on healthcare contributes to only 1.3 per cent of GDP, resulting in compromised healthcare standards. As per some projections, AI utilisation in healthcare resource optimisation could contribute $25 billion to India’s GDP by 2025. Role of government in shaping healthcare The government must …

Out-of-pocket health expenditure in India: Inter-state variations
1 year, 4 months ago

Out-of-pocket health expenditure in India: Inter-state variations

Hindustan Times  

Adequate public investment in health, by ensuring better affordability and availability of health care, is crucial for sustaining a resilient public health system. Chart 2 In five states, high public health spending is related to low OOPE, while in four states, low public health spending is related to high OOPE. In eight states, low public health spending is related to …

Rapid survey highlights lack of access to free medicines in Karnataka government hospitals
1 year, 5 months ago

Rapid survey highlights lack of access to free medicines in Karnataka government hospitals

The Hindu  

A rapid survey by Sarvatrika Arogya Andolana Karnataka, has found that patients visiting government hospitals are spending an average ₹433 per visit out-of-pocket to buy medicines. The survey done through oral enquiry with 600 patients in pharmacies outside government hospitals in 12 districts, found that overall these patients had spent ₹2,58,809 on buying medicines during the survey period from July …

Centre mandated spending on health has positive impact: study
1 year, 5 months ago

Centre mandated spending on health has positive impact: study

The Hindu  

Measures taken by the National Health Mission have given a positive fillip to the health sector across the country in the past 15 years, a study published in the Public Health For All journal has concluded. The States received funding only if they complied with the Central Government’s schemes, and States were nudged to enhance investment in primary health care. …

More than 90 million Indians spend ‘catastrophic’ 10-25% of household expenses on healthcare
1 year, 6 months ago

More than 90 million Indians spend ‘catastrophic’ 10-25% of household expenses on healthcare

Hindustan Times  

Healthcare expenditure of around 90 million Indians has crossed the ‘catastrophic’ levels – a state of financial condition where health spending exceeds 10% threshold of household consumption, posing a threat to maintain the subsistence needs. According to the Sustainable Development Goals National Indicator Framework Progress Report 2023, a total of 31 million people living in families spend more that a …

What you can do to reduce your out-of-pocket-expenditure on healthcare
1 year, 7 months ago

What you can do to reduce your out-of-pocket-expenditure on healthcare

Live Mint  

The young advertising executive was on his way home from office when he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. First, the hospital where he was admitted said that he had to immediately pay ₹50,000 towards admission—It informed him that he was not eligible for cashless admission since the hospital was not part of the insurer’s network. While people with …

Data | India’s Cancer Crisis: Rising Prevalence of the Most Expensive Disease to Treat
1 year, 9 months ago

Data | India’s Cancer Crisis: Rising Prevalence of the Most Expensive Disease to Treat

The Hindu  

On March 14, the Minister of State for Health said cancer cases in India will cross the 15 lakh mark by 2025. A Parliamentary Standing Committee report on cancer, released in September 2022, expressed concern about the “inaccessible and increasing cost of cancer treatment.” For instance, according to the National Sample Survey 2017-18 report, the average medical expenditure per hospitalisation …

₹2,828.33 crore for public health in Kerala Budget
1 year, 11 months ago

₹2,828.33 crore for public health in Kerala Budget

The Hindu  

The State Budget 2023-24 speaks about transforming Kerala into global healthcare capital, providing better healthcare services, focussing on health tourism and expanding and modernising existing facilities. “Navakerala Karma Padhati-2”, which has clubbed Rebuild Kerala Initiative and four Missions — Haritha Keralam, Aardram, LIFE and Vidya Kiranam — together gets an outlay of ₹10 crores in the Budget, while a chunk …

Alleviating the scourge of private healthcare
2 years ago

Alleviating the scourge of private healthcare

The Hindu  

India ranks poorly on multiple health financing indicators. Public health insurance schemes have often been reproached for imposing unreasonable package rates on empanelled private providers with a weak regard for actual costs of care. For instance, some countries like Canada have conceived regional health boards that organise care equitably within regions, exploit economies of scale, and bring down healthcare costs. …

Ayushman Bharat-Arogya Karnataka does not fully deliver on promised assurance of health coverage
2 years, 2 months ago

Ayushman Bharat-Arogya Karnataka does not fully deliver on promised assurance of health coverage

The Hindu  

Four years after the Ayushman Bharat Arogya Karnataka, the State’s flagship health assurance scheme, was launched, easy access and free treatment during emergencies still eludes people. Most private hospitals are not keen on empanelment citing “low-package rates”, fixed by the government for the 1,650 procedures covered under the scheme. Prasanna H.M. president of Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association said …

'Affordable, Not Cheap': To Push 'Heal in India' Abroad, Govt to Reposition Medical Tourism Sector
2 years, 2 months ago

'Affordable, Not Cheap': To Push 'Heal in India' Abroad, Govt to Reposition Medical Tourism Sector

News 18  

The Narendra Modi government is set to reposition India as an “affordable” and “not cheap” medical tourism destination globally as the country launches its big-ticket project Heal in India, a top government official told News18.com. “It will widen the scope of medical tourists in India as a destination known not just for treatment but also for preventive therapies and the …

Andhra Pradesh\'s health reforms package costs Rs 16,225 crore
2 years, 3 months ago

Andhra Pradesh\'s health reforms package costs Rs 16,225 crore

Deccan Chronicle  

VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister Jagan Reddy said in the state assembly on Tuesday that the government is spending Rs 16,225 crore through the Nadu-Nedu on medical and health reforms, so as to provide best services to the public. He said the government was also spending Rs 12,268 crore for the establishment of 17 new medical colleges. Jagan said, “YSR Village Clinics …

A heartening health update
2 years, 3 months ago

A heartening health update

Hindustan Times  

The latest report of National Health Accounts — it has data for 2018-19 — shows that India continues to make progress towards reducing the burden of health spending on household budgets. This is a heartening development because the poor are more likely to gain when government spending rather than private health insurance brings about a reduction in OOP spending. As …

Why Most Indians not Using Public Health Facilities is a Matter of Concern
2 years, 5 months ago

Why Most Indians not Using Public Health Facilities is a Matter of Concern

News 18  

Around 70 years ago, when India established its First Primary Health Centre, on the recommendation of the Bhore Committee, the idea was Indians will soon have access to equitable, affordable and quality health care services that are accountable and responsive to their needs. According to the Fifth Round of National Family Health Survey, 2019-21, half of the families in India …

Rising medical expenses add to financial stress of citizens
2 years, 7 months ago

Rising medical expenses add to financial stress of citizens

The Hindu  

Ragashree Gnanesh, whose aged mother needs regular follow-up with a specialist for her recurring health problems, has been finding it increasingly difficult to cope with medical expenses. With a substantial increase in the cost of living too, medical expenses are turning out to be a huge burden on us,” she said. Manjunath, director of the State-run Sri Jayadeva Institute of …

Defining a new pathway for enhanced healthcare
2 years, 9 months ago

Defining a new pathway for enhanced healthcare

Hindustan Times  

The challenges faced in the past by the Indian healthcare system pale in comparison with those brought on by the pandemic. Globally it can be seen that government expenditures on health need to be more than 70% to 75% of total health expenditures to deliver truly high-quality healthcare services. A review of the November 2021 State of State Finances report …

Chandrajit Banerjee | Budget must pave way for ambitious decadal growth
2 years, 11 months ago

Chandrajit Banerjee | Budget must pave way for ambitious decadal growth

Deccan Chronicle  

India’s economy has seen a sharp rebound after the first two waves of the Covid-19 pandemic and is expected to be the fastest growing major economy this year. Low government health expenditure leads to higher per capita out-of-pocket expenditure, impacting disposable incomes and access to healthcare. Therefore, India must increase its public expenditure on healthcare from the current 1.3 per …

Loss of income, rise in health expenses: How the Covid pandemic has made Indians poorer
3 years ago

Loss of income, rise in health expenses: How the Covid pandemic has made Indians poorer

India Today  

Sample these: 65.6 per cent households in lower-income countries reported financial reasons for not accessing healthcare during the pandemic; global poverty rates have increased for the first time in decades; 9.7 crore additional people have been pushed to extreme poverty in 2020 due to Covid. “The global poverty rate has increased for the first time after the 1997-98 Asian financial …

Wanted: A truly generous health cheque for underserved Indians
3 years, 2 months ago

Wanted: A truly generous health cheque for underserved Indians

Live Mint  

At an annual spend hovering around ₹2,000 per capita, India’s public health expenditure remains one of the lowest among major economies in the world. Yet, in fiscal 2020-21, when the pandemic burst on the scene, India’s government health expenditure inched up to merely 1.5% of GDP. The National Health Policy, in addition to recommending an increase in overall public health …

‘More health for the money’: Obtaining more value from financing
3 years, 3 months ago

‘More health for the money’: Obtaining more value from financing

Hindustan Times  

Currently, we in India spend a total of about 4% of our Gross Domestic Product on health care, with almost 2.5% being directly paid for by us at the time that we use any health care services, and only 1.25% being spent by the government. Having failed to obtain substantial improvements within their current systems using traditional methods, a number …

Did the poor gain from India’s health policy interventions?
3 years, 5 months ago

Did the poor gain from India’s health policy interventions?

Hindustan Times  

This article examines whether health policy interventions and accelerated health investments in India during 2004-2018 could close the gap in inequity in health care utilisation and access to public subsidy by different population groups. Employing Benefit-Incidence Analysis framework, this paper advances earlier evidence by highlighting estimates of health care utilisation, concentration and government subsidy by broader provider categories and across …

The rural healthcare challenge
3 years, 7 months ago

The rural healthcare challenge

Hindustan Times  

Covid-19 made inroads into rural and peri-urban areas during the second wave, with rural districts accounting for 53% of new cases and 52% of Covid-19 deaths in May, according to a recent report. In contrast to urban areas, preventive care services, including maternal and child health services, family planning, and immunisation, have dominated rural health allocations, and curative care has …

What makes it difficult to deliver healthcare to the poor?
3 years, 7 months ago

What makes it difficult to deliver healthcare to the poor?

Live Mint  

During the last two decades, significant progress was made in improving poor people’s access to healthcare. For example, it is estimated that 80 per cent of all diseases in a setting like India are self-limiting in the sense that one would get better without any treatment, but people may not be aware of this and as a result may credit …

What The 137% Hike in Health Budget Means: From a Doctor Petitioning for Healthy India
3 years, 11 months ago

What The 137% Hike in Health Budget Means: From a Doctor Petitioning for Healthy India

News 18  

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented India’s budget for the fiscal year beginning April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022 on Monday. Emphasizing that the Budget proposal of 2021-2022 rests on 6 pillars including that of Health and Wellbeing, Sitharaman proposed more than doubling India’s healthcare and wellbeing spending to 2.2 trillion rupees. Dr Sarika Verma, an ENT surgeon based out …

Economic Survey | ‘High out-of-pocket expenses for health can lead to poverty’
3 years, 11 months ago

Economic Survey | ‘High out-of-pocket expenses for health can lead to poverty’

The Hindu  

India has one-of-the highest level of Out-Of-Pocket Expenditures contributing directly to the high incidence of catastrophic expenditures and poverty, notes the Economic Survey. The Survey also underlines that OOPE for health increases the risk of vulnerable groups slipping into poverty because of catastrophic health expenditures. The Survey added that for enabling India to respond to pandemics, the health infrastructure must …

First phase of National Family Health Survey-5 shows startling trends in out-of-pocket health expenses
3 years, 11 months ago

First phase of National Family Health Survey-5 shows startling trends in out-of-pocket health expenses

Firstpost  

Despite swift advances in healthcare, Universal Health Coverage remains a distant dream for India. Image credit: Pixabay NFHS data reveals healthcare costs The Out-of-Pocket expenditure incurred by people while accessing public health services is on the rise. NFHS V data reveals that average out of pocket expenditure per delivery in a public health facility has risen in 10 states and …

The antidote for India’s healthcare woes
4 years ago

The antidote for India’s healthcare woes

Live Mint  

“This is indeed India!” remarked Mark Twain, as he tried to grasp the complex and nuanced Indian society. Considering that India’s healthcare spending, at 3.5% of gross domestic product, is significantly lower than peers, one would assume that higher government spending can alleviate all the pain points in the healthcare ecosystem. Similarly, India can work towards creating a Health Open …

Stopping the slide of health care in India
4 years ago

Stopping the slide of health care in India

The Hindu  

India’s health care is a dark echo chamber. What makes insurance and private health care an egregious combination is that the insurance backup incentivises hospitals to expand the bill but the patients do not get attended to in their best interests. In any case, insurance of secondary and tertiary care pushes out long-term investment by the state and people and …

Costs of India’s covid crisis are too high
4 years, 4 months ago

Costs of India’s covid crisis are too high

Live Mint  

India is reeling from a quadruple whammy that is practically unique even during this pandemic. Programs like Britain’s furlough scheme or the U.S.’s $600 per week unemployment aid are a distant dream in India. Perhaps that’s because the case fatality rate, as far as the government can tell, is well below 2% and thus among the lowest in the world. …

Cost of coronavirus: Routine health services derailed in India
4 years, 4 months ago

Cost of coronavirus: Routine health services derailed in India

India Today  

For months now, Indian doctors have been warning that patients with serious and chronic conditions have been missing appointments, and have been speaking out about the difficulties in accessing medicines, dialysis and other life-saving interventions because of Coronavirus-related disruptions. Now new official data confirms that health services in India have been drastically curtailed, with serious potential consequences. The National Health …

Needed, a transfusion for public health care
4 years, 6 months ago

Needed, a transfusion for public health care

The Hindu  

A news channel in India alleged recently that several private hospitals in the country were “exposed” by a “sting operation” to be levying fees in excess when COVID-19 patients went to them for care. A mirror to public care The reason for this abundance of private health care is obviously the lack of adequate public health care. The Indian government …

Hospitals overwhelmed as coronavirus cases explode in India
4 years, 7 months ago

Hospitals overwhelmed as coronavirus cases explode in India

Al Jazeera  

More than a fifth of the country’s coronavirus cases are in Mumbai, where people struggle to find hospital beds. 630,000 to 2.1 million could be infected by July For years, India’s booming private hospitals have taken some of the strain off the country’s underfunded and dilapidated public health network, but the ordeal of Parikh’s family suggests that as coronavirus cases …

Mumbai faces shortage of medical staff, hospital beds as coronavirus cases rise to 30,359; city records one-fifth of infections in India
4 years, 7 months ago

Mumbai faces shortage of medical staff, hospital beds as coronavirus cases rise to 30,359; city records one-fifth of infections in India

Firstpost  

Mumbai’s municipal authority said it had ordered public officials to take control of at least 100 private hospital beds in all 24 zones in the city of almost 20 million people to make more beds available for coronavirus patients. More than a fifth of the country’s coronavirus cases are in Mumbai, India’s financial hub and its most populous city, where …

After corona: Upgrade India's healthcare fast
4 years, 8 months ago

After corona: Upgrade India's healthcare fast

Deccan Chronicle  

In the ongoing battle against the coronavirus pandemic, both central and state governments have shown great commitment in meeting the medical needs of Indians. Around 57 per cent of Indians said they had gone for treatment to government hospitals in the past one year, while 41 per cent said they avoided government hospitals. But there is a difference: while very …

India is poised for deep structural health reforms
4 years, 8 months ago

India is poised for deep structural health reforms

Hindustan Times  

Despite a history of a weak health system, India was near an inflection point on health care reforms even before the outbreak of the coronavirus disease. India’s weak health care is a legacy of limited attention to it after Independence, and the multiple priorities of a young nation. India’s per capita income and health expenditure are similar to those of …

Making the private sector care for public health
4 years, 9 months ago

Making the private sector care for public health

The Hindu  

As India enters the second week of a national lockdown imposed in response to COVID-19, it is still unclear how well prepared the healthcare system is in dealing with the pandemic. So, an already overburdened public health system will be unable to meet the increase in moderate and severe cases of COVID-19 that would require hospitalisation. A graduated approach to …

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