{"id":246211,"date":"2023-06-03T20:05:33","date_gmt":"2023-06-03T14:35:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.forumias.com\/?p=246211"},"modified":"2023-06-03T20:05:33","modified_gmt":"2023-06-03T14:35:33","slug":"heres-how-to-make-indias-health-sector-fighting-fit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/heres-how-to-make-indias-health-sector-fighting-fit\/","title":{"rendered":"Here\u2019s How To Make India\u2019s Health Sector Fighting Fit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Source-<\/strong> The post is based on the article \u201cHere\u2019s How To Make India\u2019s Health Sector Fighting Fit\u201d published in the \u201cThe Times of India\u201d on 3rd June 2023.<\/p>\n

Syllabus: <\/strong>GS2- Issues related to development and management of health<\/p>\n

Relevance- <\/strong>Governance structure of healthcare system in India<\/p>\n

News<\/strong>– On almost all health indicators, India ranks last among G20 countries.<\/p>\n

Why is colonial legacy responsible for poor health indicators in India?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Government of India Acts of 1919 and 1935<\/strong> established health as a state subject.<\/p>\n

The India Act of 1919<\/strong> granted provinces autonomy over health<\/strong>. The Act of 1935 <\/strong>demarcated subjects into federal, provincial, and concurrent lists. It designates health as a provincial subject. The Indian Constitution retained health as a state subject.<\/strong><\/p>\n

During the Constituent Assembly\u2019s debate, Hari Vishnu Kamath and Brajeshwar Prasad had opposed the inclusion of health on the state list.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kamath argued \u201cnational health\u201d<\/strong> had declined under British rule and the government’s goal should be to elevate it to A-1 standards<\/strong>. Health should be a Union subject to protect the nation from diseases and epidemics. But the Assembly rejected the proposals.<\/p>\n

What are the consequences of health being a state subject under the constitution?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The constitutional structure<\/strong> hampers nationwide public health strategies<\/strong>. It restricts Centre\u2019s ability to enforce uniform standards and guidelines.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Unequal sector development<\/strong> makes for a stark contrast between states. UP and Bihar have some of the world\u2019s worst health indicators. Health in states such as Tamil Nadu and Kerala is comparable to upper-middle-income countries.<\/p>\n

The central health budget <\/strong>remained negligible since Independence, stagnating at around 2% over several Five-Year Plans. As the Constitution did not mandate an equal role for the Centre, <\/strong>the health infrastructure gap<\/strong> between states widened.<\/p>\n

Regulations were uneven. GoI enacted the Clinical Establishments Act in 2010<\/strong> to improve quality and protect patients\u2019 rights. It has largely been ineffective as many states and UTs have not implemented it.<\/p>\n

State-level drug and device regulations<\/strong> have obstructed uniform drug regulation.<\/strong> The Drugs and Cosmetics Act <\/strong>has a fragmented regulatory approach. <\/strong><\/p>\n

The Centre makes rules for manufacture of drugs but states grant the licences<\/strong>. States have uneven regulatory oversight, variable drug quality, inconsistent standards enforcement, and insufficient protection<\/strong> from unsafe drugs.<\/p>\n

What is the way forward to reduce disparities in healthcare across the various regions in India?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Supreme Court mandated the government implement the right to emergency and critical care <\/strong>regardless of people\u2019s ability to pay.<\/p>\n

Rajasthan has passed a Right to Health Act<\/strong>, that provides citizens free emergency care<\/strong> at public or private hospitals. Yet Rajasthan cannot achieve the objective of this legislation on its own.The state doesn\u2019t control hospitals outside its boundaries.<\/p>\n

Such a basic right should be available to all<\/strong>. But individual states making such laws may not be the most efficient. A piecemeal approach<\/strong> by various states will lead to fragmentation and confusion. <\/strong><\/p>\n

The right-to health approach<\/strong> may increase costs and lead to potential relocation<\/strong> of private hospitals to states where their obligations with respect to emergency care are weaker.<\/p>\n

A uniform definition of emergency care and role of hospitals<\/strong> countrywide is essential. It should be decided by the Centre.<\/p>\n

Over 75 years, there have been advances in technology and innovative approaches. There is a dominant role of the private sector, and increased reliance on third-party healthcare payment systems<\/strong>. It is unfeasible for states to manage and regulate health services.<\/p>\n

The 15th Finance Commission<\/strong> also recommended health be transferred to the concurrent list <\/strong>allowing for uniform policy formulation and implementation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Source- The post is based on the article \u201cHere\u2019s How To Make India\u2019s Health Sector Fighting Fit\u201d published in the \u201cThe Times of India\u201d on 3rd June 2023. Syllabus: GS2- Issues related to development and management of health Relevance- Governance structure of healthcare system in India News– On almost all health indicators, India ranks last… Continue reading Here\u2019s How To Make India\u2019s Health Sector Fighting Fit<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10320,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1230,9],"tags":[212,10496],"class_list":["post-246211","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-9-pm-daily-articles","category-public","tag-gs-paper-2","tag-times-of-india","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","views":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246211","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10320"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=246211"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246211\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=246211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=246211"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=246211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}