The Main Reasons Why HealthCare in India Is Ever More Expensive
In India, there have been major setbacks and obstacles regarding the healthcare system that has plagued the country for decades. Now, with the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s no denying that many believe that things are worse than ever. And that’s not to be dramatic.
With nearly 30,000,000 cases and 380,000 deaths as of June 2021, India is one of the most impacted countries, and the situation is still out of control. However, this is a recent development. In this guide, we will explore some of the reasons why Indian healthcare has become so expensive and why it’s such an issue that is coming into the limelight today.
The Neglect of Rural Populations
The neglect of India’s rural population is a fundamental flaw in the country’s health care system that is recognised by healthcare authorities worldwide. This is because India mainly provides a healthcare system in urban populations only, typically in the form of hospitals.
According to health data, 31.5 percent of hospitals and 16% of hospital beds are located in rural areas, which account for 75% of the overall population. This means doctors are being paid a lot more in the urban areas and are far too expensive by nature for the rural areas to even afford.
Since 75% of the population is rural, this creates a top-heavy structure that’s far too expensive for the majority of citizens.
How the Culture Works
India’s healthcare system is nearly entirely based on imported Western models and has no origins in the people’s culture or tradition. This means that metropolitan hospitals provide the majority of the services, but this has come at the expense of providing everyone with adequate primary health care.
In short, it has utterly disregarded preventive, motivational, rehabilitative, and public-health efforts.
Inadequate Healthcare Service Spending
The government’s contribution to the health sector is barely 0.9 percent of GDP, according to the National Health Policy of 2002. This is far from enough, and the figures are not much these days.
In India, public health spending accounts for 17.3 percent of total health spending, while it accounts for 24.9 percent in China, 45.4 percent in Sri Lanka, and 44.1 percent in the United States.
There is absolutely no denying that this is the primary cause of the country’s poor health standards.
The Medical Staff Shortage
In India, a primary challenge in the health industry is a shortage of medical workers such as doctors and nurses.
While India had only 5.5 doctors per 10,000 people in 1999-2000, the United States had 25, and China had 20. Similarly, in relation to our large population, the number of hospitals and clinics is minimal. When compared with Western world populations, these ratios are shocking.
Expensive Medical Care Services
In India, health services are expensive. Of course, this is what this article is about, but having high prices is a self-perpetuating problem because the prices need to remain high to help cover costs. This means poorer people still can’t afford the services, thus the prices remain high, and the cycle continues.
There needs to be a focus that looks into more affordable solutions, like Ayurveda, Unani, and Homeopathy, that are less expensive and will better serve the average person. Additionally, policies like the arogya sanjeevani policy are helping to make healthcare more affordable and are well worth looking into.
If the level of healthcare in the country can improve, and fewer people are ill, then the prices can drop and become more affordable for everyone.
Summary
As you can see, there are some severe obstacles that the Indian healthcare system faces, and there certainly needs to be some kind of investment and attention paid if there is any chance of things getting better.
