Steps taken by the government to improve Indian healthcare system

Steps taken by the government to improve Indian healthcare system

In a major initiative aimed at improving the healthcare system in India, The National Health Policy has been framed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The policy aims to strengthen the public healthcare and systems, increase focus on preventive healthcare, make healthcare more affordable to all and build an integrated National Health System. It will bring about a qualitative change in the healthcare system in India.

Inadequacies in India’s Healthcare System:

India’s Health Care system is so poorly run that we have to rely on the private sector. Governments keep spewing rhetoric like ‘free healthcare for all but how can that happen. Here we are going to discuss about some major causes about it.

Paucity of Resources: Not all citizens have access to healthcare. Doctors overburden the understaffed government hospitals and private hospitals are out of reach for many Indians. Doctors work under extreme conditions in crowded out-patient departments, poor infrastructure, inadequate staff and even a scarcity of medicines.

Doctor-Patient Ratio: Though the numbers of qualified medical staff have increased in India, it still comes nowhere near the standards of developed nations. The low doctor-patient ratio is one of the biggest challenges faced by India's healthcare system. India has only 10 lakh registered doctors to cater to 1.3 billion citizens.

Unaffordable Treatments: Though India has made a lot of progress in providing health care services, it still remains one of the largest consumers of medicines in the world and most Indians have to spend at least 10% of their household budget on healthcare. This pressure on household finances has caused many to forgo essential health care.

Doctor-Patient Relation: Doctor-patient relation is an integral point of any health-related system. India is a developing country that has been plagued with inadequate medical facilities, resulting in malpractices and malpractitioners, ever-rising healthcare costs as well as a duration of illness. So, it is imperative to address this crucial issue first and provide effective solutions.

Risk of epidemic: With a large number of infectious diseases and high infant mortality rates, India needs a well-trained and well-equipped medical staff. The inadequate state of the healthcare system of the country is both alarming and heartbreaking.

Ineffective Implementation of Laws: Despite laws in place that envisage imprisonment besides recovery of compensation from perpetrators for loss or damage to Medical professionals and property, states are lacking in its effective implementation. For example, West Bengal has also enacted a law for protection of doctors but due to its poor implementation it has failed to curb the ongoing doctor-patient crisis.

Quacks: The poor implementation of laws aimed at protecting doctors and medical institutions is one of the reasons why attacks on them are on the rise. This is a serious national problem since India is currently battling a severe doctor shortage. 

Recent steps taken by the government to improve Indian healthcare system:

National Health Mission: The National Health Mission aims to provide universal access to quality healthcare. Under this mission, health services have been extended to needy families and the government has paid attention to strengthening primary healthcare at the rural level. Primary care includes- improvements in service delivery systems, prevention of maternal and child deaths, and control of non-communicable diseases.

Ayushman Bharat: The government has taken holistic steps to improve the healthcare system in the country by bringing in a new scheme named 'Ayushman Bharat- National Health Protection Mission'. The scheme is going to strengthen and expand the scope of healthcare services to beneficiaries.

Jan Aushadhi: Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana Kendra is set up in the states and will sell medical equipment and devices, as well as medicines, at affordable prices. This helps patients with expensive medical diagnostic procedures such as MRI, PET, and CT scans to recover from their illnesses. The scheme will also benefit patients from financially weaker sections of society who cannot afford costly branded drugs.

National Medical Commission Bill: The National Medical Commission Bill is a replacement of the MCI to regulate medical education across India, modernization and standardization of undergraduate and postgraduate medical education, rationalization and strengthening of the licensing processes for setting-up hospitals and nursing homes, recognition of healthcare facilities, setting up an apex medical board at the national level to provide guidelines for standards of treatment, procedures for adjudicating medical boards including those of Armed Forces Medical Services.

Support to states: To strengthen the health system, support is provided to States under NRHM for strengthening the institutional delivery services in select districts.

Financial assistance: Financial assistance is being provided under the Centrally Sponsored National Health Mission (NHM) towards payment of honorarium to ASHAs/ANMs in vulnerable groups and for IEC activities.