What is the issue?
- India has a young and growing workforce, which lacks universal access of health care and financial assistance.
- Government need to take measures to address such health care concerns of the citizens.
What are the concerns in Indian health care?
- India ranks 131stin the Human Development Index (HDI) and at 141strank in global gender gap out of 144 countries in its health and survival index.
- Almost one-third of the Indians do not have access to primary healthcare facilities and about 63 million fall back into poverty due to spending on illnesses.
- Health insurance currently covers only about one-sixth of the population, there is also lack of focus on prevention of diseases.
What are measures taken by the government?
- The National Health Policy was introduced in 2017, to raise the level of public expenditure in the sector from the current 1.5% to 2.5% over three years.
- The policy also aims to provide free primary care and all public hospitals would ensure free drugs, diagnostics and emergency care services.
- Union government is working to set a target of reaching 50 in the HDI in a specified period.
- NITI Aayog is working on an innovative strategy of public-private partnerships in three non-communicable diseases of cardiology, pulmonology and oncology.
- State governments are being encouraged to set up joint ventures with private sector institutions to provide services at certain district hospitals.
What are the further measures needs to be taken?
- Non-communicable diseases, malnutrition and lack of timely and affordable healthcare are the key issues need to be addressed.
- For better healthcare infrastructure land should be identified for specialty hospitals in small towns under the Smart Cities and AMRUT schemes.
- Schemes by public sector insurance companies should be offered to low-income households at varying subsidies to provide assistance for illnesses.
- To address the healthcare workforce gap more teaching hospitals needs to be set up with seats for specialisation at the post-graduation level.
- The government must accord high priority to preventive and curative programmes and ensure universal access to medical facilities in the shortest time.
Source: the Hindu
Quick fact
HDI
- The Human Development Index (HDI) was developed by the United Nations as a metric to assess the social and economic development levels of countries.
- Four principal areas of examination are used to rank countries:
- Mean years of schooling.
- Expected years of schooling.
- Life expectancy at birth.
- Gross national income per capita.
- This index makes it possible to follow changes in development levels over time and to compare the development levels of different countries.
