Although India has more affordable healthcare in comparison to many other countries, treatments are still out of reach for a vast majority of the population. Even the most basic facilities provided under healthcare systems may prove expensive for most people in the country. This article will help you understand how medical inflation in India is impacting access to quality healthcare.

On a global level, Indian healthcare is considered to be of top quality and can be availed of at lower prices. It tends to draw over 1.3 billion patients from all over the world every year. However, it remains unaffordable for large sections of Indians.

Most of the health sector in India, especially in urban settings, is dominated by private for–profit organisations. When citizens who have low per capita incomes approach private institutions, they find the cost of healthcare too high. Even Indians who are relatively well–off have to spend years saving for non–emergency surgical procedures or medical care.

In cities that do have robust government healthcare, a different set of issues continue to cause disruption. With huge volumes of patients and a lack of a sufficient workforce, patients have to get through a lot of long waiting periods. With a large number of patients trying to make the most of the affordable prices at such government establishments, the rest have to approach private set–ups where healthcare expenditure is too high.

The lack of access to healthcare is even more prevalent in rural areas; wherein there is a real shortage of well–trained staff and doctors. Plus, often medical professionals prescribe tests and medicines which are not required, further increasing the amount needed for medical treatment.

At this point, more must be done to ensure that all citizens of the country can access healthcare easily without having to spend large amounts of money. To combat the rising healthcare inflation rate in India, the following changes can be made to the existing infrastructure:

• Policies have to offer health coverage for non–hospitalised treatments as they contribute largely to a household’s healthcare cost.

• The amount of government spending on healthcare should be increased, especially in departments pertaining to public health.

• Above Poverty Line (APL) segments of the population should be registered under government schemes so they can enjoy certain benefits but still pay for themselves. This move will shift the APL focus from private insurance to government–based options, reducing the cost of coordinated healthcare transactions.

• Innovative practices focusing on testing, sourcing, and distribution of common drugs and screening of common illnesses must be integrated into the system.

• New technology can be used to spread awareness about illnesses and the various health insurance plans available.

• Mandatory rural services must be prescribed for medical professionals, or incentives must be offered, to ensure that primary sectors can access healthcare.

• There should be a shift from curative healthcare measures to preventative medical care.

• Governments should prioritise healthcare and make battling inflation in the sector a major policy point.

Now that you are more aware of the increased costs of healthcare in India make sure you are well–equipped to deal with a medical emergency. Having health insurance can safeguard your finances when you require treatment.