There was an
announcement in the Union Budget of an insurance scheme against catastrophic
health expenditure for the weaker sections. Budget 2016-17 takes the
incremental step of introducing some insurance protection against high
out-of-pocket expenditure that pushes families into poverty. A significant number of young Indians aged 23 to 35 are not buying
health insurance since they find it expensive. There is a challenge also to
scale up dialysis access. Besides equipping district hospitals with the
necessary machines, training of medical professionals to closely monitor
patients availing the service is vital.
Affordable
health insurance is need of time. The health insurance should cover all
sections. Especially health insurance premium for senior citizens is heavy and
unaffordable. Let the government frame affordable group insurance in health
sector.
Healthcare
apparently is governments priority but individual health policies are charged
service tax at the rate of 14%. In a country like ours where majority meet
their health care expenses out of their own pockets, government should exempt
health policies from service tax
Indian experts
should study the countries with best healthcare system and accordingly devise
an affordable system for the poor and middle class in India.
One of the
biggest problem in public health sector provided by the government is lack of
medical professionals. One of the main reasons for this is the coming of
profit-oriented medical corporations and private individuals in the health
sector. The public sector doctors are among the highest paid employees in
government sector. But the immense opportunity and salary provided by
disproportionate profit of the private health sector has led to the drain of
medical professionals from government to private sector. In this situation, it
should be mandatory for medical professionals to work in public health sector
for at least five years in their whole professional life.
The Universal
Health Coverage concept is good in the Indian context. Health insurance
premiums are high in India and also the insured find more difficulties in
getting claims. Also there is little awareness towards health insurance schemes
and the government takes the initiatives to provide free insurance on which
cashless treatment is given for important diseases for which the common man has
to spend in lakhs and such cost is beyond his income pattern. Hence the Central
Government with the co-ordination of states must announce populist health
insurance programmes for which there is easy access. The dialysis scheme is
good for the poor people pertinent to their affordability.
No comments:
Post a Comment