Reducing the health burden on the poor is essential for improving their quality of life and breaking the cycle of poverty. People living in poverty often face significant challenges when it comes to accessing healthcare, leading to untreated illnesses and a heavier financial burden. By focusing on affordable healthcare, better access to medical facilities, and preventive measures, we can help ensure that the poor receive the care they need without falling deeper into poverty. This approach not only improves individual health but also strengthens communities and contributes to overall economic development.
Tags:GS-2,Governance- Health–Central Sector Schemes–IssuesRelatingto Development– Welfare Schemes
For Prelims: Ayushman Bharat, eSanjeevani, World Health Organization,, Mental Healthcare Act 2017, Covid-19 pandemic, National Health Mission, National Digital Health Mission, Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana, Mission Indradhanush
For Mains: Major Issues Related to India’s Healthcare Sector, Major Initiatives Related to Healthcare in India.
Context:
- The HCES 2022-23 survey shows an increase in households incurring hospitalisation expenses from 2011-12 to 2022-23.
- Reflecting improved access to healthcare, with a reduction in the financial burden of hospitalisation, as health expenditure in monthly spending dropped from 10.8% to 9.4%.
- The rising burden of non-communicable diseases requires focused attention. India must continue leveraging successful schemes like Ayushman Bharat while addressing ongoing challenges to achieve universal healthcare.
Current Major Issues Related to India’s Healthcare Sector:
- Infrastructure-Outcome Gap: Increased health centres under the National Health Mission haven’t improved outcomes; 80% of facilities still don’t meet standards, leading to access without quality care, as seen in the persistently high maternal mortality rate.
- Digital Divide: The rapid growth of telemedicine during COVID-19 widened the healthcare gap, benefiting urban areas while rural regions, with 45% lacking internet access, are left behind.
- Brain Drain and Skill Mismatch: Despite an adequate doctor-population ratio, there’s a shortage of specialists, especially in geriatrics, and a mismatch between medical education and rural healthcare needs.
- Out-of-Pocket Expenses: Despite Ayushman Bharat, 17% of households face catastrophic healthcare costs, highlighting insufficient financial protection.
- Neglected Preventive Healthcare: The rise in non-communicable diseases, accounting for 63% of deaths, underscores the lack of focus on preventive measures like health education and early screening.
- Quality of Care Issues: Poor quality healthcare, exacerbated by a lack of regulation for private providers, results in more deaths than inadequate access, with 1.6 million deaths in 2016 due to substandard care.
- Mental Health Crisis: Mental health is under-addressed, with a severe shortage of professionals and high suicide rates, despite the Mental Healthcare Act 2017.
- Pharmaceutical Challenges: Quality control issues, over-reliance on China for APIs, and price controls threaten India’s pharmaceutical industry, as seen in the WHO’s 2023 warning against India-made cough syrups.
What are the major Initiatives Related to Healthcare in India:
- Ayushman Bharat: Aims for universal health coverage with ₹5 lakh insurance per family and 150,000 Health and Wellness Centers.
- National Health Mission (NHM): Enhances healthcare infrastructure and reduces maternal and infant mortality in rural and urban areas.
- National Digital Health Mission (NDHM): Develops a digital health ecosystem with unique health IDs, digitised records, and a doctor registry.
- Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY): Addresses regional healthcare imbalances by establishing new AIIMS and upgrading medical colleges.
- Mission Indradhanush: Increases immunisation coverage among children and pregnant women.
- Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY): Promotes institutional delivery among poor pregnant women through cash assistance.
- Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP): Provides affordable quality medicines through Janaushadhi Kendras.
- National Mental Health Program (NMHP): Offers accessible mental healthcare services and focuses on prevention and treatment of mental disorders
What Measures can India Adopt to Revamp its Healthcare Sector?
- Bridging the Urban-Rural Divide: Utilise mobile health (mHealth) technologies to improve rural healthcare access, with mobile units offering telemedicine, diagnostics, and medications, supported by ASHA Workers and Common Service Centres, scaling successful models like Tamil Nadu’s Mobile Medical Units nationwide.
- Strengthening Primary Health Care: Focus on upgrading and staffing all 150,000 Health and Wellness Centres under Ayushman Bharat by 2025, offering comprehensive services, including NCD management and mental health support, and implementing a family physician model to ensure continuity of care.
- Public-Private Partnerships: Leverage public-private partnerships (PPPs) to enhance healthcare delivery by creating a robust framework for hospital management, diagnostic services, and specialised care, replicating successful models like Rajasthan’s partnership with Narayana Health.
- Digital Health Ecosystem: Build an interoperable digital health ecosystem by implementing the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, standardising Electronic Health Records (EHRs), and creating a nationwide Health Information Exchange (HIE) to improve data sharing and care coordination.
- Boosting Indigenous R&D: Increase healthcare R&D spending to 2.5% of GDP and establish biomedical research parks to foster collaboration among academia, industry, and healthcare providers, developing cost-effective, context-specific solutions.
- Enhancing Healthcare Standards: Implement robust quality control measures and accreditation systems for healthcare and pharmaceutical facilities, enforce stringent standards, conduct regular audits, and encourage patient feedback to improve care quality.
UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Question (PYQ)
Prelims
Q:1 Which of the following are the objectives of ‘National Nutrition Mission’? (2017)
- To create awareness relating to malnutrition among pregnant women and lactating mothers.
- To reduce the incidence of anaemia among young children, adolescent girls and women.
- To promote the consumption of millets, coarse cereals and unpolished rice.
- To promote the consumption of poultry eggs.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
- 1 and 2 only
- 1, 2 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 4 only
- 3 and 4 only
Ans: (a)
Mains
Q:1 “Besides being a moral imperative of a Welfare State, primary health structure is a necessary precondition for sustainable development.” Analyse. (2021)
Source: IE
FAQs
Q: What does it mean to reduce the poor’s health burden?
- Answer: Reducing the poor’s health burden means improving healthcare access and outcomes for low-income individuals and families. It involves ensuring they can afford and receive the medical care they need to stay healthy and prevent illnesses.
Q: Why do poor people face a heavier health burden?
- Answer: Poor people often face a heavier health burden because they have limited access to quality healthcare, nutritious food, clean water, and safe living conditions. They may also struggle to afford medical treatments or health insurance, leading to untreated illnesses and more severe health problems.
Q: How can healthcare access be improved for the poor?
- Answer: Healthcare access can be improved by increasing the availability of affordable medical services, expanding health insurance coverage, building more clinics in underserved areas, and providing free or low-cost medication and treatments to those in need.
Q: What role does the government play in reducing the poor’s health burden?
- Answer: The government plays a crucial role by funding public healthcare programs, implementing policies to make healthcare more affordable, and ensuring that healthcare facilities are available and accessible to all, especially in rural and impoverished areas.
Q: How can individuals and communities help reduce the health burden on the poor?
- Answer: Individuals and communities can help by raising awareness about health issues, volunteering at local clinics, supporting charitable organizations that provide healthcare services, and advocating for policies that ensure everyone has access to necessary medical care.
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