Dr
KK Aggarwal
Recipient
of Padma Shri
There is a wide gap in
the availability of healthcare service in the country. On one hand, India is
fast becoming the hub of medial tourism, whereas in a sharp contrast,
healthcare including essential healthcare is still out of reach for many of her
citizens.
The private sector
provides 80% of healthcare in the country today, while only 20% is by
govt. sector. This is because the govt. spends very little on health.
Currently, India spends just 1% of its gross domestic product (GDP) on
health and is ranked at 180th position out of 192 countries on this. Without
spending at least 5-6% of the GDP on health, the basic healthcare needs of the
population cannot be fulfilled. Although the National Health Policy, 2017 has
provided for increasing public expenditure on health to 2.5% of GDP from the
current ~1%, it is still very inadequate to provide universal healthcare.
The highly priced
private healthcare is inaccessible to many; yet many seek healthcare in the
private sector, and often find themselves in financial trouble.
Very few people in the
country have health insurance coverage. India has one of
the highest out of expenditures on health in the world, which is over 60%,
which contributes to poverty due to exorbitant health expenses resulting in
further inequity in health services.
Universal health
coverage is the answer to affordable healthcare of quality in developing
countries like India. The goal of universal health coverage is to ensure that
all people receive the health services they need without suffering
financial hardship when paying for them (WHO Online Q&A, December 2014).
Universal healthcare provides Affordable, Adequate, Accessible, Available,
Appropriate and Accountable quality and safe healthcare to
the public.
Achieving universal
health coverage is a target under the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 3) “to achieve universal health coverage,
including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care
services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential
medicines and vaccines for all (3.8)”.
The World Health
Organization (WHO) has chosen “Universal health coverage: everyone, everywhere”
as the theme of the World Health Day this year.
Every citizen in the
country has a right to receive safe and quality medical treatment. Right
to health and medical care has been recognized as a fundamental right
covered by Article 21 by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India.
It is
the constitutional duty of the govt. to provide quality healthcare for all. In this day
and age, when medicine has made tremendous advances, nobody should die just
because they cannot afford treatment.
Stop Press Breaking News
IMA Resolutions at
Mahapanchayat
1. Medical students to go
on strike on 2nd April
2. IMA members to go on
indefinite strike if NMC is passed by the government
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