Plan panel wants govt to retreat from healthcare

The  Planning Commission’s   proposal   to reverse  the long-standing public health policy ending governments' dominant role in providing health services and transiting to greater privatization of the health sector from the 12th plan onwards in  totally unwarranted and patently dangerous.  It has to be noted that  India, health care system is inadequate and  pathetic. Proper health care and medical facilities are out of reach for a large section of the rural as well as urban poor. Poverty and degraded living environment, and other forms of social disadvantage translate into poorer health status and outcomes for the poor. The general health condition of the urban poor, primarily slum dwellers, is as worse as that of the rural poor. Slum populations, obviously, ‘face greater health hazards due to overcrowding, poor sanitation, lack of access to safe drinking water. A recent study of slums in the million plus cities of Tamil Nadu (Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai) by FSD (under the guidance of this commentator) found that serious health problem exist in slums everywhere. This study revealed that:  “The information provided by the respondents, 58.6 percent of the households had one or more members suffering from some kind of diseases or other during one month prior to the inv stigation. Malaria, dysentery, diarrhea, asthma, bronchitis, tuberculosis, chicken guinea,dengue, etc. were among the most common diseases that affected them. The incidence of disease was also relatively high in their case and the frequent occurrence of diseases had affected their families. The respondents reported that in case of common illness like cold, fever, dysentery, etc., they did their own treatment or they approached nearby medical practitioners. They stated that they had to depend upon government and corporation hospitals and dispensaries for illness requiring medical attention. However, they were quite unhappy about the cumbersome procedures, long waits and poor medical attention in the government hospitals and corporations dispensaries. Quite a few respondents opined that the general rush in the outpatient departments of the hospitals was so heavy that the doctors found no sufficient time to attend all the patients with due care. The availability of doctors, medicines and chances of treatment were erratic. Seldom are the doctors or medicines available. Moreover, many respondents stated that they had to grease somebody’s palm to get proper treatment.”  Under the circumstances and realities, further withdrawal of the public sector from medical and health services will entail more sufferings to public in general, and poorer  sections in particular.  In fact the public sector accounts for less than 20 % of total healthcare spending in India. Only 1/4 of the Indian population has access to Western (allopathic) medicine, which is practiced mainly in urban areas, where two-thirds of India’s hospitals and health centers are located. Many of the rural poor have to rely on alternative forms of treatment. A widespread lack of health insurance compounds the healthcare challenges that India faces. Although some form of health protection is provided by government and major private employers, the health insurance schemes available to the Indian public are generally basic and inaccessible  the vast majority of people. Therefore, there is strong case for   increasing  India's proportion of public expenditure to total spending on health considerably and  thereby making the public health delivery system more broad based and effective. 

Dr. C.Murukadas, The Times of India, August 8, 2012