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DAILY NEWS ANALYSIS
11 June, 2020
7 Min Read
Needed, a transfusion for public health care
Dr. Raj B. Singh is a pulmonologist in Chennai. The views expressed are personal
Part of: GS-III- Health (PT-MAINS-PERSONALITY TEST)
Health services cannot be left to private medicine in a developing country, or indeed, in any country
Context
A news channel in India alleged recently that several private hospitals in the country were “exposed” by a “sting operation” to be levying fees in excess when COVID-19 patients went to them for care. It is not clear why a “sting operation” was necessary; the high cost of medical care in the top hospitals of the country is well known. Anyone who has had major surgery or received intensive care in any of the hospitals can testify to that. The debate now is whether such exorbitant rates are justified during a pandemic such as the one we are in the midst of, or indeed, ever.
Why do we have so many private hospitals in a poor country such as India?
We have more hospital beds in the private sector than in the public sector. It is estimated that there are 19 lakh hospital beds, 95,000 ICU beds and 48,000 ventilators in India. Most of these are concentrated in seven States, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana and West Bengal. Except for Tamil Nadu, Delhi and West Bengal, there are far more beds and ventilators in the private sector than in the public, according to the Center For Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy.
A mirror to public care
The reason for this abundance of private health care is obviously the lack of adequate public health care. This situation has developed due to two main reasons.
Other points
What needs to be done??
Conclusion
No hospital, business, institution or individual should profiteer from a national calamity such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Hospitals, like any other institution, have a social responsibility to provide care in times of need. But one should be also aware of the actual costs involved which have to be met. The cost of medical care often follows the law of diminishing returns; as the treatment gets more sophisticated, further and further increments, although small, cost enormously more. Some of the drugs used in the care of severely-ill COVID-19 patients may cost more than ?50,000 a shot, for example, and may provide only a marginally better outcome. “Capping” costs may necessitate sacrificing some of these expensive options. Private hospitals should, and will, be prepared to forego profits and even suffer losses during a national disaster. But if losses become unsustainable, they may be forced to lay off employees, close beds or even entire hospitals, like any other business. That will hardly benefit anyone.
Source: TH
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