Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 73
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 74
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 148]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 181]
Notice (8): Undefined variable: urlPrefix [APP/Template/Layout/printlayout.ctp, line 8]latest-news-updates/indian-households-spend-7-of-total-expenditure-on-healthcare-says-survey-3375.html"/> LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Indian households spend 7% of total expenditure on healthcare, says survey | Im4change.org
Resource centre on India's rural distress
 
 

Indian households spend 7% of total expenditure on healthcare, says survey


The out-of-pocket healthcare spending by Indians continues to push them further into poverty with the public spending on health is almost negligible, according to the India Health Report 2010.

Studies have documented that households in India spend a disproportionate share of their consumption expenditure on health, with the contribution from government being almost negligible. Public spending on health is very low, stagnant at about 1 per cent of GDP, putting India among the bottom 20 per cent of countries and far below what is needed to provide basic healthcare to the population, the recently published study said.

Quoting the available statistics, the study said the households spend an average of 7 per cent of their total expenditure on medicine and healthcare. "This all-India figure, however, hides variations across economic status as poor households spend a greater share of their household expenditure on health and healthcare, often with a debilitating impact of sinking into deeper poverty. Private health spending accounts for more than 80 per cent of all health spending in India and one of the highest proportions of private spending anywhere in the world," the study done by Indicus Analytics said.

Until the mid-1980s public hospitals played a significant role in providing healthcare, and tended to be much cheaper than private healthcare. Since then, however, the private healthcare sector has become the dominant player, especially in case of out-patient care. Per capita costs have almost doubled in the last decade, across both in-patient and out-patient care. In rural areas, per capita out-patient cost increased from Rs.11 to Rs.20, while urban areas showed an increase from Rs.14 to Rs.28, it said.

Even the per out-patient expense, that is, the cost of one visit to the facility, has increased by about Rs.30 over the last nine years. Similar trends are visible in the case of in-patient care. Further, both rural and urban residents spend significantly more money on seeking private in-patient treatment than on that provided in government healthcare facilities, the study said.

Consider the fact that expenditure has increased by roughly 6 per cent annually in case of out-patient, while for in-patient care the increase is steeper-at about 10 per cent annually over the nine-year period between 1995-96 and 2004. Further, the divide between the rich and poor has increased considerably as accessing healthcare is becoming more and more taxing on the poor. In 2004, the rural poor were paying about 25 per cent more than what they did in 1995-96 for the same in-patient treatment; the increase was only about 3 per cent for the rural rich. A similar pattern is visible in urban areas as well. However, out-patient expenditures for both rural and urban areas do not show such expenditure trends, it said.

The average expenditure incurred for one case of hospitalisation is about Rs.7,182 with government hospitals stand at about Rs.3,454 while private facilities cost almost double, at Rs.8,828. Even the poorest 20 per cent in rural areas spend about Rs.4,291 on one hospitalisation case, the study said.