There is always excitement about the budget every time the government has to announce one. But soon the hype fades out despite the hue and cry it brings along. But still 'What's in store for us?' is the big question that keeps the excitement alive before the budget.
Now, never mind if you can afford the gadgets and automobiles with the announcement of the new budget, but healthcare definitely needs to be more affordable and approachable for the rich and the poor alike. Experts in the field of medicine and healthcare share with us what is the need of the hour in the Indian health care scenario.
Increase in the doctor-patient ratio: 'Currently the doctor patient ratio, the nurse patient ratio and the other paramedical or technical staff to the patient ratio is inadequate; hence the government needs to provide impetus to education and training in these fields so that professional and qualified healthcare providers are available in the country,' says Mr Gautam Khanna, CEO. P.D.Hinduja Hospital & MRC. He also emphasises that the concept of PPP (public private partnership) should be further strengthened by identifying good private players to partner. 'The land and infrastructure cost issues that interfere with affordable healthcare services can be sorted by leasing and inviting hospitals to setup and run the centers. For hospitals to cater to the vast population of the country and help people reap their services the government needs to give tax incentives to the hospitals and other healthcare providers,' opines Mr Khanna.
Affordable medical services: 'No matter what the government announces and how good, bad or effective the budget note is, what the common people will want out of a good healthcare system is that, they don't have to think of paying a heavy bill while their loved ones are battling for life in the ICU. Understand when a person is shifted to an ICU the minimum cost the family has to incur for each day goes up to Rs 3000 to 4000. Imagine, here a patient is battling for life and death and the family is counting each and every penny, that isn't the quality of life we expect our government to give us,' says Dr Ramnathan Iyer, consultant physician and sleep medicine expert. Commenting on his own field of interest Dr Iyer says, 'A CPAP machine that can help to counter the problems of snoring so effectively and save one from the impending health consequences is beyond the reach of the common man as it costs around Rs 35,000 to 45, 000. Reduction in cost of medical and diagnostic tools can make a great deal of difference in the wellbeing of a common man,' says Dr Iyer.
Tax exemption on medical and diagnostic services: 'The tax on medical services should be exempted to take off the burden from the patients in order to make medical service more affordable. Also there is a huge tax imposed on surgical and diagnostic tools that escalates the cost of healthcare in India. Curbing tax out of these tools and equipments can in a way make it easier for the common man to reach out for medical help. The government should understand that medical service is not like a legal service or any other service that can be disbursed to people only after imposing huge taxes, instead it is an act of humanity that doesn't need to be availed by paying heavy taxes,' says Dr Suchetan Pradhan, Pradhan Dental Clinic, Mumbai.
Introduce disease specific insurance policies and create awareness: 'No matter how much we speak about cheap and affordable medical facilities, we need to keep in mind that health care in the past few decades have escalated beyond the reach of even the middle class section and it is expected to rise even more. The sad part is even with such reality looming in front of us the vast majority of the Indian population is not covered under any insurance policies. Two factors that are responsible for this scenario are lack of awareness and limitation of the policies. The government should bring out more policies that are disease specific like that for hypertension, diabetes, etc, and that's how medical services can be made easy for the poor,' says Dr Shailesh Shrikhande, Head of gastrointestinal surgery, Tata Memorial hospital.
Improve maternal and children's health: 'The government should take some strong steps in reducing malnutrition in children up to three years of age, as it is a huge concern for our country. Corrective measures should be taken in terms of prenatal care so that the infant and maternal mortality rates are reduced. In India anaemia among women and adolescent girls is still prevalent; steps should be taken to curb it by at least 50 percent. The government should ensure that safe drinking water reaches every nook and corner of the country; this will help us prevent various water borne diseases which can lead to adverse consequences,' says Rajeev Boudhankar, vice president, Kohinoor Hospital, Mumbai.
Let good policies be implemented: 'For decades I have seen that the union budgets just come and go and people hardly benefit out of it. This time I hope that the budget takes care of all the needs of common men not only related to health care but all other sectors too,' says Dr Anand Gokani, Diabetologist, Bombay Hospital.
Recognise healthcare sector as a priority sector: 'Healthcare sector should be given the importance like a priority sector by the FM to make fundings easier. There should also be increased budgetary allocation as percentage of GDP. Health insurance should be made mandatory offering access to quality healthcare. The section should receive more incentives to develop healthcare infrastructure in terms of technology, physical infrastructure. and last but not the least we would like to see that 5-year tax holiday in tier 2 and 3 towns to be extended to at least 10 years,' says Mr V P Kamath, group chief operating officer, Nova Medical Centre.
For more articles on the Union Budget 2014-15, check out our Union Budget 2014-15 section. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest updates! For daily free health tips, sign up for our newsletter. And to join discussions on health topics of your choice, visit our forum.
