ModiCare: Universal health care in India to be a reality?


Recently, ‘the Lancet’, a leading British medical journal proclaimed Modi to be the 1st Indian PM to have focussed on universal health care. The news is referring to ‘Ayushman Bharat’ - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana(PMJAY), a health insurance scheme first proposed in the 2018 budget and introduced again in the independence day speech earlier this year.

The scheme aims to provide Rs 5 lakh cover to 50 crore poor people as identified by the Socio-Economic Caste Census(SECC) data. The scheme is touted to be the world’s largest state sponsored welfare scheme. It has also received praise from the WHO.

 What remains to be seen is how the ambitious targets and goals set by the scheme would actually be implemented at the ground level considering the abysmal health facilities in the rural parts of the country. It would also be interesting to see how up-market private hospitals would end up participating in the scheme considering the scheme’s diverging interests from profit-driven operations.

Sceptics have also called it an election gimmick for the upcoming 2019 elections. Irrespective of ideological differences, one hopes this scheme would provide some respite to the destitute of our country.

 -Rohit Garg

Comments

  1. AdheeshSeptember 16, 2018 at 7:44 PM

    I think that hospitals would love this scheme. They will now be able to treat (and thus claim insurance money from) many more patients, even the pooerer ones, who in the past couldn't afford such care.
    I expect private hospitals to expand into rural areas to capitalize on this fact.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. RohitSeptember 16, 2018 at 7:54 PM

      Might happen, wish it pans out that way. I'm just a little bit unsure that whether even with the larger number of patients, they would be able to get the same revenue as with their current standard 'exorbitant' rates. They would want to maintain quality I assume, and there is 'no free meal'. I'm not an expert, so do add if you know more.

      Delete
    2. AdheeshSeptember 16, 2018 at 7:57 PM

      I don't expect hospitals to charge any less for their services. It's just that, now they'll be able to bill it to the insurance for people who can't afford to pay otherwise.

      Delete

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