Healthcare in India

Much of the success of the Indian government funded healthcare system is actually due to the success and collective Indian healthcare implementation at both the state and territorial levels. At the national level, the health authority has built an impressive array of public hospitals which rank among some of the finest in India. This is even make the more remarkable consider that the Medical funding is provided purely through taxation money.  They are known not for just free medicines and inexpensive treatments, but they also have a reputation of high scores in terms of service level and quality care. One prime example is AIIMS (which is one of the top hospitals in the country). AIIMS charges just a nominal 10 rupees for every walk-in patient looking for out-patient treatment. If the follow-up visit is instructed by the doctor, the concerned patient would bear no further cost.  In the case of in-patient treatment, public hospitals would evaluate factors like earning power as well as facilities required to dispense treatment before a fee can be derived.  However, in most cases, the derived amount is more likely a tiny portion of what would have been charged by private hospitals. If a patient is surviving below the poverty line, all corresponding Healthcare treatment fees would be waived. For the more well-to-do patients, these public hospitals are flexible enough to include certain fringe benefits, so that a patient can opt to have an air-conditioned room for example in exchange for a little more fee. It does not matter if the hospital stay is going to be fuss-free or tampered with little luxury, all medical charges levied for basic in-hospital exams and treatments at the public hospitals would only represent an insignificant portion of what a typical private sector hospital would charge otherwise. The reason for this is obviously the subsidies attributed to the central and state governments.

Indian Health Authority and Healthcare facilities in India

 The Indian health authority delegates the responsibility of administering primary healthcare to the various city/district hospitals as well as rural primary health centers (PHCs). All these facilities would in turn provide services to the population free of charge. The primary care strategy in India is focused on immunization. There are also significant attentions on prevention of pregnancy, treatment of common disorders, child birth, postnatal care, and malnutrition. The system is also complemented by secondary care (they are pretty common in district and headquarters) and tertiary care facilities (most district and state HQs would offer such services as well as university hospitals where graduate and/or post-graduate programs are part of the curriculum). These complimentary facilities provide specialized care and treatments of rare and complicated symptoms. Even though the Indian public healthcare system is top notch, the sheer size of its population means that it will continue to be a challenge to satisfy all the medical demands in the country. In fact, strains have started to show and complaints about under-staffed and under-financed are not uncommon. As service level at public hospitals drops, it is only natural more Indians are looking up to private hospitals as their alternative healthcare providers.

India and Private Health care sector

 The private sector has responded to this new opportunity with relish. Recently, a number of private enterprises, for example Hindustan Latex Family Planning Promotional Trust, have been busy constructing new hospitals and clinics in anticipation of increased demand. The Indian authority welcomes this development as it sees the national healthcare industry could only benefit from the new competitions. In the mean time, these privately run hospitals have embarked on aggressive marketing drives to promote their hospitals. One common tactic is to entice new patients with subsidized insurance plans. Some even go as far as offering free or much-subsidized healthcare services at their newly minted hospitals.

If you are looking for a comprehensive health insurance plan in India please ask us for a free quote. Our advisors will guide you towards the most suitable healthcare plan, whether it be an individual Health plan or a family health insurance plan.