Money-Biggest Barrier for Healthcare



Today’s world technology has reached heights of getting anything and everything at your fingertips. World is revolutionizing and things are more accessible to people instantly. This has benefited the healthcare system too with more ease of access and availability of service to people. Healthcare is the basic need of every human being and should be available for everyone. But the richer section is facing the issue of more spending on out of pocket in healthcare and the poorer section is facing issue of non-availability of good healthcare due to lack of earnings and other socio-economic reasons. Of 300 Million households survey conducted by census board of India, 73% lived in villages and within this, less than 5% earn enough to pay taxes, and less than 10 % have a salaried jobs. This stats proves that good healthcare is still not in the reach of the majority in the country as 70% population still has limited or no access to hospitals and clinics. This makes the rural population to rely heavily on government programs that are executed in partnership with private hospitals. India also faces issues with healthcare and infrastructure due the private healthcare sectors running only on urban part of the country and rural part is being untouched. Adding on to existing problems, the government of the country spends only about 30% of the country’s total healthcare budget which is one of the root cause of this problem.

Contrary to this Indian Pharmacy sector is one of the biggest exporter in the world since the country produces drugs in lowest price possible. Dipti Jain, in one of her article stated that “The poorest income classes receive fewer benefits from the public health system than their better-o peers.” Adding to this Tata Institute of Social science has analyzed that out of pocket expenditure in healthcare is accounted for one sixth of Poverty of the country. The high cost of healthcare is leading for the poor to be restrictive in seeking treatment and resulting for health hazards.


Government along with private healthcare sectors should together address this issue and find a comprehensive solution as health welfare is not a comfort or a luxury but a basic need and right of every citizen born in this country



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