For a healthier nation
Healthcare delivery system in India needs a significant overhaul.
That a family had to pay 16 lakh rupees to the Fortis Hospital, Gurgaon, for the treatment of dengue fever, that too when their child did not survive, and a similar case from Medanta Hospital Gurgaon is a matter of shame for the nation which is aspiring to be world leader. This is a pathetic situation and total failure of the healthcare delivery system. In our country 30 per cent of the population lives below poverty line with a per capita earning of Rs.32 in rural and Rs.47 in urban areas and another 50 per cent population is marginally above the poverty line. It is beyond comprehension that how these people can afford even basic healthcare what to talk of tertiary advanced care like the one being provided by Forits hospital and the like. Even the middle-class population, which is nearly 26 crores and who, by accepted definition, earn Rs.60,000 approximately per month, find it difficult to bear such huge expenditure. That is why 6.3 crore people are pushed below poverty line because of out of pocket health expenditure.