IMA president urges Govt to prioritise public healthcare
Investment in public healthcare is too meagre at 2.2 % of the GDP, says Dr. Asokan.
"The government is shying away from funding healthcare, leaving it to the private sector. Investment in public healthcare is too meagre at 2.2 percent of the GDP, and this must increase if everyone were to get affordable healthcare," Dr. Asokan told The Assam Tribune.
Dr. Asokan said that sufficient budgetary support is a must to bring in lasting and meaningful changes to the country's public healthcare.
"Money is the factor, and things will not change as long as the government refuses to make adequate investments in the sector. Health is not a priority, and the government is for the private sector and insurance companies to take over healthcare. "The process also eliminates small and medium hospitals," he said.
"The rich, who comprise 10 percent of the population, can manage on their own, and the poor, 25 percent, can avail themselves of government largesse in the form of various free treatment schemes. The middle 65 percent are left to fend for themselves amid skyrocketing medical costs," he said. According to the Indian Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), India's public health spending for FY 2024 stands at approximately 2.1-2.2 percent of the GDP, which is below the global average. Many developing nations spend much more than this.
Asserting that public sector leadership is needed to make quality healthcare affordable, Dr. Asokan, who was in the city to attend a medical conference, said that the lack of standardised healthcare was aggravating the situation.
Terming health insurance as not an ideal solution, Dr. Asokan said that health insurance was also quite costly, and it did not penetrate into every segment of the needy.
According to Dr. Asokan, more than the shortage of doctors, constraints of hospital beds and medical infrastructure were an acute problem. "There is a doctor shortage in some places, but we have a severe shortfall of beds, with 1.3 beds against 1,000. people against the WHO recommendation of 3 beds for 1,000 people.
The Indian doctor is also overburdened, which is eroding the quality time that a doctor is supposed to provide to a patient," he observed.
"We need universal healthcare where the government will be responsible for providing healthcare to the masses. A change in approach is a dire need for this required transformation," he added.
On the urban-rural disparity vis-à-vis healthcare, Dr. Asokan said that with more and more urbanisation, the gap was getting bridged, but constraints of manpower and logistics have been a serious issue.
"There is also limited focus on preventive healthcare as our healthcare system often prioritises curative care over preventive care. This can change with more awareness of the need to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Lifestyle and food habit change can lead to the prevention of certain common diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and stroke that have a high fatality rate," he said, adding that small things such as hand hygiene can make a lot of difference.
Another emerging problem, he added, is the growing antibiotic microbial resistance, which can create severe problems in treatment in the coming days.
To a question on mental health as being another neglected sphere, Dr. Asokan said that addressing it warranted societal changes. "Acceptability is the key. More than psychiatrists, general practitioners should take up counselling, imparting information. Active listening on the part of the doctor is a must. The earlier practice of family doctors, who were not specialists, needs to be revived, which can also lead to more quality time with doctors. Family doctors should be the referring doctors," he said.
The IMA president advocated a strong legal mechanism and enforcement for easing the trend of assaults on doctors and health workers. "We need a proper safety mechanism, including legal enforcement. We need a central law, as the state laws have not been effective. There should also be enhanced communication between a doctor and his patient."
For disposing of medical waste, Dr. Asokan said that small states could set up one common treatment plant, something done in Kerala. "We get 68 tonnes of medical waste from 15,000 institutions every day from the 14 districts, can be replicated elsewhere," he said and the waste is treated at one centre. IMA had set up this facility and it runs it. Such a model can be replicated elsewhere," he said.
By-
Shivashish Thakur
