{"id":329935,"date":"2025-03-17T17:26:51","date_gmt":"2025-03-17T11:56:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/?p=329935"},"modified":"2025-03-18T16:51:37","modified_gmt":"2025-03-18T11:21:37","slug":"indias-health-policies-need-better-primary-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/indias-health-policies-need-better-primary-care\/","title":{"rendered":"India’s Health Policies Need Better Primary Care"},"content":{"rendered":"

Source<\/strong>: The post India’s Health Policies Need Better Primary Care has been created, based on the article \u201cFrom insurance-driven private health care to equity<\/strong>\u201d published in \u201cThe Hindu<\/strong>\u201d on 17th March 2025. India’s Health Policies Need Better Primary Care.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"India's<\/p>\n

UPSC Syllabus Topic:<\/strong> GS Paper2- Governance-Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector\/Services relating to Health<\/p>\n

Context<\/strong>: The article discusses India\u2019s health policies and budget. It highlights how Ayushman Bharat focuses on hospital care but neglects primary health care. It warns against over-reliance on private insurance and suggests investing in community health services to reduce costs and improve accessibility.<\/p>\n

For detailed information on Public Health Sector read this article here<\/a><\/p>\n

How does Ayushman Bharat impact health care in India?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY)<\/strong> helps reduce out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE)<\/strong> by covering hospitalisation, surgeries, and procedures.<\/li>\n
  2. However, it focuses on tertiary care<\/strong> while neglecting primary health care (PHC)<\/strong>, which is essential for cost-effective health care.<\/li>\n
  3. PHC reduces long-term costs and prevents diseases, but AB-PMJAY shifts attention away from preventive and community-based health care<\/strong>, increasing reliance on private hospitals.<\/li>\n
  4. This contradicts the Bhore Committee<\/strong>\u2019<\/strong>s vision<\/strong> of a pyramid-shaped health system<\/strong>, with PHC as the foundation tapering to secondary and tertiary care.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    How is the health budget allocated, and what are its challenges?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
      \n
    1. The 2025 Budget allocates <\/strong>\u20b99,406 crore<\/strong> to AB-PMJAY, which is \u20b92,000 crore more than the previous year<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
    2. The total health budget includes \u20b995,957.87 crore for the Department of Health and Family Welfare<\/strong> and \u20b93,900.69 crore for the Department of Health Research<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
    3. The National Health Mission (NHM)<\/strong>, which supports grassroot health care<\/strong>, receives a declining share<\/strong>, indicating the government\u2019s reduced focus on universal health care.<\/li>\n
    4. The Budget prioritises medical digital infrastructure and medical education expansion<\/strong> rather than strengthening primary health care<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      How does the increase in foreign direct investment (FDI) affect health care?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
        \n
      1. The government increased the FDI cap in the insurance sector from 74% to 100%<\/strong>, following a previous increase from 49% to 74% in 2021<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
      2. The goal is to increase insurance penetration<\/strong>, especially in rural areas<\/strong>, and support the vision of \u201c<\/strong>Insurance for All<\/strong>\u201d by 2047<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
      3. The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI)<\/strong> expects more capital and expanded coverage.<\/li>\n
      4. However, informal workers and marginalised urban populations<\/strong> may struggle with insurance literacy<\/strong> and access to insurance benefits<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
      5. Without strict regulations, private insurance could lead to rising OOPE due to inflated medical costs and uncovered consumables.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        What are the risks of relying on private insurance for health care?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
          \n
        1. The U.S. model<\/strong> of private insurance-driven health care has led to high treatment costs, inequalities, and limited access<\/strong> for uninsured individuals.<\/li>\n
        2. Claim denials<\/strong> and corporate control over health care<\/strong> have sparked public criticism.<\/li>\n
        3. India risks similar issues<\/strong> if it relies too much on private insurance<\/strong> without strong government oversight.<\/li>\n
        4. ASHA workers and grassroots health-care providers<\/strong> may not receive sufficient coverage under current insurance models.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          What can India learn from global health care models?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
            \n
          1. Thailand<\/strong> provides universal health coverage<\/strong> using tax revenue<\/strong> and strong public health investments<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
          2. Costa Rica<\/strong>\u2019<\/strong>s system<\/strong> mandates insurance (Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social) while prioritising PHC and community-based services<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
          3. These models show that public investment in PHC reduces long-term health costs<\/strong> and ensures better access to care.<\/li>\n
          4. India needs to reassess its priorities<\/strong>, ensuring health policies focus on preventive and community-based health care<\/strong> instead of tertiary private care<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
          5. The government must implement safeguards<\/strong> to prevent private insurance from inflating costs<\/strong> and ensure that UHC (Universal Health Coverage) remains a reality, not just a slogan<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            Question for practice:<\/strong><\/p>\n

            Examine how India’s reliance on private insurance impacts health care accessibility and affordability.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            Source: The post India’s Health Policies Need Better Primary Care has been created, based on the article \u201cFrom insurance-driven private health care to equity\u201d published in \u201cThe Hindu\u201d on 17th March 2025. India’s Health Policies Need Better Primary Care. UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper2- Governance-Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector\/Services relating to… Continue reading India’s Health Policies Need Better Primary Care<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10320,"featured_media":330022,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1230],"tags":[300,212,10498],"class_list":["post-329935","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-9-pm-daily-articles","tag-governance","tag-gs-paper-2","tag-the-hindu","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Indias-Health-Policies-Need-Better-Primary-Care.png?fit=1280%2C850&ssl=1","views":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/329935","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=329935"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/329935\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/330022"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=329935"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=329935"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=329935"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}