When we talk of 'health care for all',the fitting term that hits our mind is the Universal Health Care(UHC) model.Universal health care is the provision of comprehensive health care and financial protection universally to everyone.However,universal health care is not a one-size-fits-all concept.That said.it is determined basically by three factors:who is covered,what services are covered and how much of the cost is covered.
India has made rapid strides in economic growth in the last 20 years.However,the health indicators of Indians are still abysmally low.This is evident from the fact that India fares badly in the Human Development Index in which health is an important index-indicator.Moreover India is a home to millions of malnourished children.The Infant mortality rate(IMR) and maternal mortality rate(MMR) are still at uncomfortable levels.Health also constitutes out-of-pocket expenditure for the majority of Indians thus driving them into perpetual poverty.
Therefore,the concept of providing universal health care has been gaining ground recently to improve the overall health indicators.The government is contemplating the move to introduce Universal Health Assurance Mission thus providing basic health care package for all its citizens.The RSBY scheme was introduced in 2008 to provide insurance benefit to the people living below poverty line.
However,there are certain missing links in our health care model which needs to be addressed before rolling out the UHC model.First,we need to shift our attention from hospital-based care to primary care extensively.The people from the villages often approach the tertiary-care hospitals for treatment of their diseases which could have been cured at the Primary Health Centres (PHCs).Consequently.the hospitals fall short of hospital-beds which could otherwise have been used by the needy.Thus,providing basic infrastructure in the form of PHCs along with able manpower at the village level would be a force-multiplier in providing quality health care to the citizens.
Second,there is an urgent need to separate the core-health care systems from the extended health care system.The core-health care system includes primary,secondary and tertiary health care centres while the extended health system entails proper sanitation,pure drinking water,awareness programs and so forth.The extended health care falls outside the purview of health ministry and therefore needs to be tackled in a mission-mode and funded separately from the core health care system.The government should then allocate at least 2.5% of GDP towards provision of core health care,which is currently around 1% of nation's GDP.
Third,universal health care should not only include the poor,but also the middle-class section of society.It would ensure accountability in the public health care system as the middle-class is aware of its rights and entitlements.Moreover,moving away from a target-centric approach would make it a politically sensitive issue in the public domain.Unless,political mobilisation takes place in the area of health sector,the people would not get the fundamental right of health care.
A healthy population is squarely related to a healthy nation.A healthy nation is a prerequisite for an economically prosperous nation as it is the productive people who determines a nation's growth.Thus,health is an important segment of interest which cannot be overlooked.
India has made rapid strides in economic growth in the last 20 years.However,the health indicators of Indians are still abysmally low.This is evident from the fact that India fares badly in the Human Development Index in which health is an important index-indicator.Moreover India is a home to millions of malnourished children.The Infant mortality rate(IMR) and maternal mortality rate(MMR) are still at uncomfortable levels.Health also constitutes out-of-pocket expenditure for the majority of Indians thus driving them into perpetual poverty.Therefore,the concept of providing universal health care has been gaining ground recently to improve the overall health indicators.The government is contemplating the move to introduce Universal Health Assurance Mission thus providing basic health care package for all its citizens.The RSBY scheme was introduced in 2008 to provide insurance benefit to the people living below poverty line.
However,there are certain missing links in our health care model which needs to be addressed before rolling out the UHC model.First,we need to shift our attention from hospital-based care to primary care extensively.The people from the villages often approach the tertiary-care hospitals for treatment of their diseases which could have been cured at the Primary Health Centres (PHCs).Consequently.the hospitals fall short of hospital-beds which could otherwise have been used by the needy.Thus,providing basic infrastructure in the form of PHCs along with able manpower at the village level would be a force-multiplier in providing quality health care to the citizens.
Second,there is an urgent need to separate the core-health care systems from the extended health care system.The core-health care system includes primary,secondary and tertiary health care centres while the extended health system entails proper sanitation,pure drinking water,awareness programs and so forth.The extended health care falls outside the purview of health ministry and therefore needs to be tackled in a mission-mode and funded separately from the core health care system.The government should then allocate at least 2.5% of GDP towards provision of core health care,which is currently around 1% of nation's GDP.
Third,universal health care should not only include the poor,but also the middle-class section of society.It would ensure accountability in the public health care system as the middle-class is aware of its rights and entitlements.Moreover,moving away from a target-centric approach would make it a politically sensitive issue in the public domain.Unless,political mobilisation takes place in the area of health sector,the people would not get the fundamental right of health care.
A healthy population is squarely related to a healthy nation.A healthy nation is a prerequisite for an economically prosperous nation as it is the productive people who determines a nation's growth.Thus,health is an important segment of interest which cannot be overlooked.
The important thing which is often overlooked is the governance, management and administration of the heath-care institutions in India.The success of flagship programmes like NRHM is evident in those states which are well governed like in Tamil-Nadu and Kerela.Therefore,tackling issues like corruption in heath care institutions is of paramount importance.Similarly,the persisting problem of absenteeism of doctors in public health units thus rendering private practice above public service needs to be tackled on war-footing,
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