IPA Newspack
  • Home
  • now
  • politics
  • business
  • markets

IPA /

IPA Special

IPA Special

Unhealthy Signs In Health Sector Cry For Action

By G. Srinivasan

 

If health is wealth, are we spending sufficiently to maintain the basic health needs of millions of our citizens in the world’s fifth biggest economy as our politicos make braggadocio with little qualms? In his Independence day speech delivered with fervent zest Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared the world’s humongous government-funded healthcare programme designed to provide insurance coverage of five lakh of rupees per family annually to benefit more than 100 million poor families in a country of one billion plus population. The indefatigable Prime Minister inaugurated the first healthcare and wellness centre under Ayushman Bharat Yojana in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur on August 14, a day prior to his unveiling of the big scheme, billed as the Modicare, from the ramparts of the Red Fort

 

Essentially, Ayushman Bharat, also hailed as the National Health Protection scheme —has twin tasks—first, fostering a network of health and wellness centres across the vast country of continental size, supplanting the well-nigh moribund primary health centres and second, extending insurance cover to 40 per cent of India’s population by degrees, i.e., the most deprived, for secondary and tertiary care, including hospitalization costs. Even as several states have their own state health insurance schemes, how far the new scheme would subsume the extant ones or help those who have been left untouched by it has not been adequately amplified, with the resources for such a daunting operation pan-India by way of state premium having not been identified or bruited for the broader understanding of the biggest ambitious programme in the annals of the nation.

 

Be that as it may, the 2017-18 Economic Survey said the total expenditure by the government (central and States combined) on health as a percentage to gross domestic product (GDP) has increased from 1.2 per cent in 2013-14 to 1.4 per cent in 2017-18 (i.e., from the last year of the UPA government to the first four years of the NDA government). The National Health Policy 2017 of the NDA government foresees raising government health spending by 1.1 per cent to 2.5 per cent by 2025 in a time-bound manner, while aiming at augmenting state sector health spend to more than 8 per cent of their budget by 2020. With states not getting overly worried over addressing basic issues like primary health and primary education as the cost of electioneering and winning elections becoming too big a task on hand to tackle, it would be too much to expect them to set apart enhanced outlays on health, particularly the medical institutions run by them are in parlous state, making even poor patients to seek private hospitals and physicians.

 

Though the healthcare in the country comprises both public and private sectors, the private sector provides nearly 80 per cent of outpatient care and about 60 per cent of inpatient care, according to the latest report on assessment of entities engaged in health and allied sector by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). Interestingly, the PAC, which studied an earlier report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) on the issue, found that although there was expansion of the private healthcare expenditure by more than 35,000 crore of rupees and 39,000 crore of rupees during 2012-13 and 2013-14 respectively, the number of corporate assesses in the categories viz., medical professionals, nursing homes, specialty hospitals had actually declined in 2012-13 and then increased marginally in 2013-14, revealing the extent of suppression of income and non-filing of returns, making abundant use of available exemptions and loopholes in the statute.

 

The PAC report also took cognizance of the referral fees disbursed to doctors by private hospitals, nursing homes, diagnostics centres for referring patients and payments made on account of advertisement expenses by the medical practitioners; but such expenditure has been held as “disallowed and unethical as per the directives of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and the Indian Medical Council (Professional conduct, etiquettes and ethics) Regulations, 2002 read with Homeopathic Practitioners (Professional Conduct, Etiquette & Code of Ethics) Regulations respectively. Despite the directives in place explicitly, such benefits are still being distributed though in other forms, the committee said wryly. Hence the committee pertinently suggests that such expenses being pertained to promotion of business, be allowed to be incurred from the profits after tax of the hospitals /pharmaceuticals and allied industries and by practicing doctors themselves and these should be made taxable in the hands of the beneficiaries.

 

A cognate issue flagged off by the PAC is that the fees charged by health professionals, private hospitals, nursing homes, medical clinics, medical colleges, diagnostic centres, pathological labs and medical supply stores for their services are mostly received in cash, which is a high-risk area with potential for evasion of tax. If demonetization of high denominational notes had not brought the best result in making these categories of service providers to desist from taking cash, digitalization of the economy would be ill-served if the authorities do not crack the whip to nip these nefarious practices from persisting any further. This way they would provide immense relief to legions of patients who find paying their medical expenses a gargantuan task.

 

Yet another CAG report, tabled in Parliament in the monsoon session, on Pradhan Mantri Swashtya Suraksha Yojana, designed to rectify the imbalances in the availability of tertiary healthcare services and improving the quality of medical education in the country by establishing institutions of eminence after the pattern of AIIMS, found inadequacies in the entire scheme from planning to financial management, setting up of new AIIMs and upgradation of existing state Government Medical Colleges and Institutions (GMCIs).

 

Illustrating financial management problems, the CAG report cited that six new AIIMs in Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Jodhpur, Patna, Raipur and Rishikesh were holding an unutilized balance of funds of Rs 1,264.71 crore, with Rs 393.53 crore for civil works and Rs 437.28 crore for procurement of equipment lying unspent with the executing agencies. Four GMCIs (BJMC-Ahmadabad, BMCRI- Bangalore, NIMS-Hyderabad and RIMS-Ranchi) diverted Rs 26.71 crore for other purposes.

 

Together the PAC report and the latest CAG report touch only the tiny specks of the welter of problems plaguing the healthcare industry in the country. They are unfortunately compounded by the apathy of the authorities, who could not fathom the depth of the health crisis the nation would be facing if bitter medicines are not prescribed forthwith. There is no magic wand or silver bullet to cure many a malady but all promises to deliver health for the under-served would be utterly wasted and defeated if the best reports being with the government are not taken serious note of and action initiated with no further loss of precious time. (IPA Service)

 

The Picture is taken from Internet.

The post Unhealthy Signs In Health Sector Cry For Action appeared first on Newspack by India Press Agency.

IPA Newspack

Politics

Rahul says people of India, and not just Cong, will defeat BJP

June 4, 2023
Politics

Mehbooba gets a passport after three-year wait

June 4, 2023
Politics

Rail minister says no time for politics after spat with Mamata

June 4, 2023
Politics

Sibal cites govt inadequacies behind Odisha rail tragedy

June 4, 2023
Politics

Rare show of appreciation for Modi from Sam Pitroda

June 4, 2023
IPA Special

Nepalese Prime Minister’s Four Day Visit Bring Ties With India Closer

June 3, 2023
IPA Special

What Will Be India’s Response To US’s Bid To Offer NATO+ Membership

June 3, 2023
IPA Special

Narendra Modi Has Been Most Successful In Using Technology For Governance

June 3, 2023
IPA Special

Law Commission Parrots Views Of BJP, RSS Rather Than An Expert View

June 3, 2023
IPA Special

Rahul Gandhi’s Alternative Vision Can Be A Good Basis For June 12 Discussion

June 3, 2023
IPA Special

Labour Market Recovery Still Under Hostage Of Multiple Crises

June 3, 2023
IPA Special

Erdogan’s Presidential Win Is A Clear Loss For People Of Turkiye

June 3, 2023
IPA Special

July 23 General Election In Spain Is The Test Of Left For Its Political Survival

June 3, 2023
Happening Now

One of Independent India’s worst rail accidents

June 3, 2023
Politics

Cong slams BJP for criticising Rahul’s remark on IUML

June 3, 2023
Politics

SGPC flays Rahul Gandhi statement about Guru Nanak

June 3, 2023
Politics

Kejriwal asks Cong to choose between Constitution and Modi

June 3, 2023
Politics

‘Free power’ parties will have to pay some way: Minister

June 3, 2023
IPA Special

Opposition Can Follow A Five-Point Approach To Defeat BJP In 2024 Lok Sabha Polls

June 2, 2023
IPA Special

Bigger Muslim Support To The Congress In Karnataka Poll Is A Positive Signal For 2024

June 2, 2023

An appeal

The legacy of IPA, founded by Nikhil Chakravartty, the doyen of journalism in India, to keep the flag of independent media flying high, is facing the threat of extinction due to the effect of the Covid pandemic. Only an emergency funding can avert such an eventuality. We appeal to all those who believe in the freedom of expression to contribute to this noble cause.
Click here to learn more

Share

Reply

  • 0
More on IPA

Nepalese Prime Minister’s Four Day Visit Bring Ties With India Closer

June 3, 2023 5:00 pm | IPA Staff

By Arun Kumar Shrivastav During his 4-day India visit, Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal completed formal engagements with the Indian leadership and is visiting...

IPA Special

What Will Be India’s Response To US’s Bid To Offer NATO+ Membership

June 3, 2023 3:37 pm | IPA Staff

By Girish Linganna In what could be a significant turning point in global geopolitics, the United States is reportedly contemplating extending an invitation to India...

IPA Special

Narendra Modi Has Been Most Successful In Using Technology For Governance

June 3, 2023 3:35 pm | IPA Staff

By Harihar Swarup Prime Minister Narendra Modi has completed his Ninth Year as Prime Minister. Look at how he has already left his imprint on...

IPA Special

Law Commission Parrots Views Of BJP, RSS Rather Than An Expert View

June 3, 2023 3:34 pm | IPA Staff

By K Raveendran The Law Commission has taken a political stand in its report about sedition rather than a policy stand, which a body of...

IPA Special

Nepalese Prime Minister’s Four Day Visit Bring Ties With India Closer

in IPA Special
Jun 3, 2023   ·  

What Will Be India’s Response To US’s Bid To Offer NATO+ Membership

in IPA Special
Jun 3, 2023   ·  

Narendra Modi Has Been Most Successful In Using Technology For Governance

in IPA Special
Jun 3, 2023   ·  

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Follow us on
Up Next: Rising Petroleum Prices Test People’s Patience
©2020 -2021 India Press Agency, All Rights Reserved.
Newspack by India Press Agency | Statement of Ownership | Contact Us
logo
  • Home
  • now
  • politics
  • business
  • markets