Health services should be extended to the deprived and poor sections

23/09/2022

The Government needs to pay more attention to
marginalized people in rural areas. There should be maximum modernization of the health system in rural areas. Although India has made a lot of progress on health,
much remains to be done. The private sector today
provides about 60% of the health facilities
which are at times beyond the reach of the common man. We have to strengthen the public sector. Along with the increasing investment, we have to take health facilities to the villages. For the effective implementation of new schemes, we will need transparency, accountability,
and administrative efficiency

World Patient Safety Day was established in 2019 to enhance the global understanding of patient safety, increase public engagement in the safety of health care, and promote global actions to enhance patient safety and reduce patient harm. Healthcare has become more focused on innovation and technology over the past two years and 80% of healthcare systems are targeting to increase their investments in digital healthcare tools in the coming five years. The healthcare industry of healthcare sector in India includes hospitals, medical equipment, diagnostic tests, outsourcing, telemedicine, medical tourism, health insurance, and medical equipment. India's healthcare delivery system is classified into two major components - public and private.
In any country, the health of the people there is the main agenda of the government, especially the health of women and children. Although health is a state subject in the country, the central government has taken it as a mission. Nutrition Week is celebrated in the country to take special care of nutrition in women and children. The government (public health care system) covers a limited number of secondary and tertiary care institutions in major cities and focuses on providing basic health facilities in the form of primary health care centers (PHCs) in rural areas.
There are many challenges in the health sector in India. Inadequate access to basic health services such as shortage of medical professionals, lack of quality assurance, inadequate health spending, & most importantly, inadequate research funding. One of the major concerns is inadequate financial allocation of the administration. India's public expenditure on healthcare is only 2.1% of GDP in 2021-22 while Japan, Canada, and France spend about 10% of their GDP on public healthcare. Even in neighboring countries like Bangladesh and Pakistan, more than 3% of GDP goes towards the public health system.
Preventive care is undervalued in India, even though it is highly beneficial in reducing a range of hardships for patients in terms of unhappiness and financial loss. In India, little attention is paid to R&D and new projects led by state-of-the-art technology. Policy making is undoubtedly important in providing effective and efficient health services. In India, the issue is about supply rather than demand, and policymaking can help.
In India, there is a shortage of doctors, nurses, and other health professionals. According to a study presented in Parliament by a minister, there is a shortage of 600,000 doctors in India. Doctors work in extreme conditions, including overcrowded outpatient departments, inadequate staff, medicines, and infrastructure. What is the potential of the Indian health sector? India's competitive advantage lies in its large pool of well-trained medical professionals. India is also cost-competitive as compared to its peers in Asia and Western countries. The cost of surgery in India is about one-tenth that of the US or Western Europe.
India has all the necessary elements for the growth of this sector, which includes a large population, a strong pharma, and medical supply chain, over 750 million smartphone users, 3rd largest globally with easy access to VCs (Venture Capital Funds). Join the start-up pool. The quest to solve global health problems needs funding and innovative tech entrepreneurs. Clusters are needed for rapid clinical trials of medical devices in India to promote product development and innovation. This sector will be driven by changes in life expectancy, disease burden, change in preferences, rising middle class, growth in health insurance, medical aid, infrastructure development, and policy support and incentives. There is an urgent need to improve the infrastructure of public hospitals, which are overburdened as a result of India's large population. The government should encourage private hospitals as they make a significant contribution. Because the difficulties are serious and cannot be solved by the government alone, the private sector must also get involved. To improve the capabilities and efficiency of the field, more medical personnel should be involved. Technology should be used to connect the dots in the health system.
Medical gadgets, mobile health apps, wearables, and sensors in hospitals and clinics are some examples of technology that should be included in this area. It is well known that health is wealth, so there has always been a need for reforms in this area. Recently, the efforts made by the present government in this direction are certainly commendable, but right now both the state government and the central government should try to reach health services to the deprived and poor sections.
The health sector in our country is fraught with enormous challenges. Excessive population pressure, lack of resources in the health sector like doctors, specialists, skilled para-medical staff, and lack of state-of-the-art technology and facilities. There is comprehensive and elaborate government machinery and hospital infrastructure to deal with these challenges. There is a need to implement the ongoing works and plans in a better way. In this direction, the government's Ayushman Bharat Scheme, National Nutrition Mission, NRHM, ICDS, and ASHA workers will bring positive results. The policies of the government are as commendable as their implementation is challenging.
The government needs to pay more attention to marginalized people in rural areas. There should be maximum modernization of the health system in rural areas. Although India has made a lot of progress on health, a lot remains to be done. The private sector today provides about 60% of the health facilities which are sometimes beyond the reach of the common man. We have to strengthen the public sector. Along with the increasing investment, we have to take health facilities to the villages. For the effective implementation of new schemes, we will need transparency, accountability, and administrative efficiency.
(Research Scholar in Political Science, Poet, freelance journalist, and columnist, Ubba Bhawan, Aryanagar, Hisar (Haryana)-127045. Views expressed are personal)

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