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: 150
 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: 151
 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]
LATEST NEWS UPDATES | The state of healthcare

The state of healthcare

Share this article Share this article
published Published on Feb 24, 2012   modified Modified on Feb 24, 2012
-Live Mint

The Planning Commission’s decision to not include healthcare in the list of essential entitlements such as education and food comes after an expert group recommended exactly the opposite. The group was to evaluate the role of the state as a healthcare provider, and it came to the unexceptionable conclusion that public health infrastructure should be strengthened to provide better and more affordable healthcare to all Indians. However, the Planning Commission’s preference for a rival proposal that envisages a dominant role for private health providers raises, once again, the question of how much of a role the state ought to play in providing universal healthcare.  There can be little debate that the healthcare system in the country is in urgent need of a comprehensive overhaul. The abysmal quality of public health services in India is reflected in poor performance on most health indicators. The government spends a measly 1.3% of GDP on healthcare. Moreover, according to WHO, general government expenditure on health is only 32% of the total expenditure on health—which means that private spending on health in India is as high as 67% of the total. This is substantially higher that Brazil (56%), Russia (36%) and even South Africa (60%). Private, out-of-pocket spending on healthcare is a major contributor to poverty, which is why the Planning Commission’s decision is baffling. The rising cost of care and medicines has meant that the poor are unable to access affordable (and adequate) healthcare, whether public or private. The National Sample Survey Office estimates suggest that as much as 35% of the population has been pushed below the poverty line as a result of soaring healthcare expenses. Clearly, there is more that the government needs to do, especially to address the inequities that exist in today’s public health infrastructure. Quite apart from the ethical considerations, a universal healthcare system that is truly universal and non-exclusionary can only improve the country’s economic prospects by ensuring that the working-age population is healthy and productive. A well-designed regulatory framework is also necessary to ensure that the services provided are of high quality and accountable to citizens. After careful consideration of what universal healthcare will cost the exchequer, the government must embrace the idea of health as a public good.

Live Mint, 23 February, 2012, http://www.livemint.com/2012/02/22204550/The-state-of-healthcare.html?atype=tp


Related Articles

 

Write Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

Video Archives

Archives

share on Facebook
Twitter
RSS
Feedback
Read Later

Contact Form

Please enter security code
      Close