"Govt should focus on accessible, affordable, and sustainable healthcare, say health experts

By Shalini Bhardwaj
New Delhi [India], July 18 : Experts from the healthcare industry have expressed concern over several problems in the industry and recommended steps to make healthcare accessible, affordable and sustainable.
Dr Ajay Swaroop, chairman of Sir Gangaram Hospital said, "The government should change its attitude. 70 per cent of health care in this country is being provided by private players and this attitude of suspicion that private hospitals, private practitioners are only out to make money should change. Their model of working is good, so they should be incentivized."
"The second thing is about health insurance. I think this is one sector that needs a lot of study in depth. It should open up and should be patient-friendly, because ultimately, patients are spending. Even today in India, patients are spending from their pocket and it is crippling, he said.
"Instruments are expensive. Drugs are expensive. So the treatment is very expensive, and it's very difficult for even a middle-class person or an upper middle-class person to spend from his own pocket. So the health insurance sector has to be galvanized to be patient friendly and reduce bottlenecks," he said.
"India's healthcare sector is projected to achieve a robust 12.59% growth in 2024-25, driven by two pivotal strategies. The emphasis on preventive healthcare aims to lower the disease burden and improve public health outcomes. Simultaneously, the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model is gaining momentum, combining private sector efficiency with public sector reach to enhance infrastructure and widen access," said Dr Sameer, public health expert
"These initiatives are set to make healthcare more accessible, affordable, and sustainable. By prioritizing prevention and collaborative models, India seeks to tackle its healthcare challenges while fostering innovation. As the sector progresses, it is expected to attract investments and drive technological advancements, potentially transforming the country's healthcare landscape," he emphasised.
The Indian Medical Association has called for a significant increase in financial resources for health in the budget. The medical body has written a letter to the finance minister and mentioned multiple points.
To strengthen the healthcare system in the country IMA has demanded and wished to work hand in hand with the government to achieve the health care goals set for the
accessible and affordable, quality universal health care for all the citizens of the country.
"There are multiple points and all these points are patient centric, they are not pertaining to doctors, they are basically for the wealth and welfare of the people. We've talked about universal health. So, what we are requesting is to give a basic package to all the citizens of India beyond which let them purchase the policy and pay for its treatment. That is what we're basically asking so that everybody should be covered. It should basically be for OPD because majority of the patients who are visiting hospitals are visiting hospitals for OPD, said Dr Shitij Bali, Finance Secretary, Indian Medical Association (IMA).
"Second is about the GDP. So that which we have been trying to request the government to increase the elevation of the GDP for the health budget, it is varying from 1.1 to 1.6% of the GDP," he further said
IMA has also demanded that Govt health schemes must adopt assurance model, DBT (Direct beneficiary transfer) in PMJAY / NHCX/ Health insurance for all initiative to empower individuals/families to take greater responsibility and accountability of their medical care and create efficient medical care market and better sustainable health financing system in India.