New Delhi: Terming healthcare as an "orphan", Indian Medical Association chief Dr R Ashokan says no lessons have been learned after the Covid crisis and it does not come as a top priority for political parties. In which everyone is in the "all is well" zone.
In a conversation with editors, Ashokan described the government's flagship Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme as "poorly structured and underfunded" and called for increased investment in the health sector.
“Health is an orphan. No one wants to talk about health even after the Covid pandemic, where it was also seriously felt as an internal security matter. We have not learned any lessons.We remain in the same 'all is well'" zone, he said.
"Unfortunately health is not among the top priorities of political parties," Ashokan said in response to a question on the focus on the sector during the ongoing elections.
Discussing the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) scheme in detail, Ashokan said the scheme had a "great vision" and there were a lot of expectations from it.
“But its structure was bad. And underfunded to such an extent that it will collapse.I am saying this because it was conceived by the Prime Minister for people below the poverty line, but perhaps it was structured by NITI Aayog and bureaucrats,” Ashokan said.
"Care in government hospitals is already free. So what new does the patient get? Whether it is through a government hospital or through Ayushman Bharat, the patient does not get anything new. So the goodwill that has to be generated among the public There was no political gain.,
He said, "According to the calculations that he himself has put before the country, at least Rs 1.6 lakh crore will be required annually to run that scheme. It started with Rs 6,800 crore. And now it is Rs 12,000 crore. "
The IMA president said he would like the government to be in charge of health and invest in public hospitals, public infrastructure and public human resources.
“Whatever investment has been made in health is inadequate,” he said.People spend about 3.9 percent of GDP on health. The central and state governments together spend 1.1 to 1.3 per cent of GDP, which is inadequate."
He cited the 2011 High Level Expert Group report on universal health coverage for India by the erstwhile Planning Commission, saying the government has not ensured a basic package for all citizens, whether poor or rich. “Plus they can buy care,” Ashokan explained.
The same document states that the government should strategically procure from the private sector for those below the poverty line."And a 2021 report titled Health Insurance for India's Missing Middle by the NIT Commission said that 10 per cent of Indians can pay for themselves, 25 per cent will be taken care of by the Ayushman Bharat scheme and the rest, which is about 90 Crores are being spent on private health insurance.
“After 10 years of the Planning Commission document, throwing us into the insurance industry is not acceptable,” he said.
However, in his view, India's health model is better than advanced economies like the US and UK.
"In the United States... 20 percent of the American population doesn't care after spending 15 percent of their GDP. Insurance is a failed model.The American model of insurance will not be suitable for us. Even during Covid, we did it better than these rich countries because we have the steel frame of the public health system, the poor have somewhere to go."
Comparing it with Britain's National Health Service (NHS), Ashokan said India is different.
“Here in India you can meet a doctor in most places… This is not true of the West… and you cannot meet a doctor very easily. Today we have it available at a very low price.Our logic is that do not lose what we have.
"We are the best model. This is being done despite everything because of the medium sector of small and medium hospitals in India. You have the government sector, you have the for-profit corporate sector but there are also small medium hospitals in between. By doctors all over the country.”
These were mostly doorstep family enterprises, he said.Emphasizing that the entrepreneurship of the medical profession in India is unique and should be protected, he said that the regulations coming in now are decimating the sector.
In a conversation with editors, Ashokan described the government's flagship Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme as "poorly structured and underfunded" and called for increased investment in the health sector.
“Health is an orphan. No one wants to talk about health even after the Covid pandemic, where it was also seriously felt as an internal security matter. We have not learned any lessons.We remain in the same 'all is well'" zone, he said.
"Unfortunately health is not among the top priorities of political parties," Ashokan said in response to a question on the focus on the sector during the ongoing elections.
Discussing the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) scheme in detail, Ashokan said the scheme had a "great vision" and there were a lot of expectations from it.
“But its structure was bad. And underfunded to such an extent that it will collapse.I am saying this because it was conceived by the Prime Minister for people below the poverty line, but perhaps it was structured by NITI Aayog and bureaucrats,” Ashokan said.
"Care in government hospitals is already free. So what new does the patient get? Whether it is through a government hospital or through Ayushman Bharat, the patient does not get anything new. So the goodwill that has to be generated among the public There was no political gain.,
He said, "According to the calculations that he himself has put before the country, at least Rs 1.6 lakh crore will be required annually to run that scheme. It started with Rs 6,800 crore. And now it is Rs 12,000 crore. "
The IMA president said he would like the government to be in charge of health and invest in public hospitals, public infrastructure and public human resources.
“Whatever investment has been made in health is inadequate,” he said.People spend about 3.9 percent of GDP on health. The central and state governments together spend 1.1 to 1.3 per cent of GDP, which is inadequate."
He cited the 2011 High Level Expert Group report on universal health coverage for India by the erstwhile Planning Commission, saying the government has not ensured a basic package for all citizens, whether poor or rich. “Plus they can buy care,” Ashokan explained.
The same document states that the government should strategically procure from the private sector for those below the poverty line."And a 2021 report titled Health Insurance for India's Missing Middle by the NIT Commission said that 10 per cent of Indians can pay for themselves, 25 per cent will be taken care of by the Ayushman Bharat scheme and the rest, which is about 90 Crores are being spent on private health insurance.
“After 10 years of the Planning Commission document, throwing us into the insurance industry is not acceptable,” he said.
However, in his view, India's health model is better than advanced economies like the US and UK.
"In the United States... 20 percent of the American population doesn't care after spending 15 percent of their GDP. Insurance is a failed model.The American model of insurance will not be suitable for us. Even during Covid, we did it better than these rich countries because we have the steel frame of the public health system, the poor have somewhere to go."
Comparing it with Britain's National Health Service (NHS), Ashokan said India is different.
“Here in India you can meet a doctor in most places… This is not true of the West… and you cannot meet a doctor very easily. Today we have it available at a very low price.Our logic is that do not lose what we have.
"We are the best model. This is being done despite everything because of the medium sector of small and medium hospitals in India. You have the government sector, you have the for-profit corporate sector but there are also small medium hospitals in between. By doctors all over the country.”
These were mostly doorstep family enterprises, he said.Emphasizing that the entrepreneurship of the medical profession in India is unique and should be protected, he said that the regulations coming in now are decimating the sector.
