GS3 PYQ(Mains Answer Writing): Primary Health structure | Indian Economy for UPSC CSE PDF Download

“Besides being a moral imperative of Welfare State, primary health structure is a necessary pre-condition for sustainable development.” Analyze. (UPSC GS2 Mains)

• Education and healthcare contribute to the economic development, social change and the quality of life. India spends 2 per cent of theGDP on the healthcare sector. The pandemic too has further taken a toll on this sector.
• The idea of a welfare state calls for a Universal Health Coverage that ensures equitable access of health to all the Indian citizens in a non-discriminatory manner and ensure its quality, affordability and accountability.
• There is a dismal situation been faced in the healthcare facilities due to inadequate resources with the healthcare planners. There are corruption and quality issues. The private sector driven by the free market economy where there is little monitoring of the prices. Its accessibility and affordability is beyond the reach of many households.
• There is lack of availability of subsidised and timely treatment leads to affordability and increases poverty and heightens the out of pocket expenditure. The aim is inclusive healthcare for it there has been an increase in the GDP expenditure planning and public private partnership. The aim is also to reduce the leakages and the corruption and governance issues must be dealt well.
• The government has come up with the provision of the PMJAY or the Ayushmann Bharat Yojana that helps the economically vulnerable population and provide them with the healthcare facilities and put the secondary and tertiary facilities completely cashless in the empanelled public private hospitals.

Certain reforms in the Health Sector

• Implement national standards for training and employment for the workforce.
• Implement the national accreditation of the hospitals.
• PPP in designing new healthcare services and research where affordable generic medicines are promoted.
• Insurance penetration to reduce the OPO Expenditure.
• Better the hospital infrastructure.

Thus the healthcare services needs to be paid adequate attention to so that the idea of the welfre state that is promised and thus well realised.