It is also important to keep in mind the importance and positive aspects of Ayushman Bharat, the central government's healthcare scheme.
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| Photo (https://unsplash.com/photos/T1C9zpFpky4) |
Over the years, many new policies have been formulated to provide better health care in our democratic country. They were also implemented across the country. Of course, political parties are always critical of the promises made by their opponents. Healthcare is no exception. There has been constant criticism of the country's health policies. However, the current government's 'Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana' should be set aside for any kind of political spectacle. The feasibility and sustainability of this scheme needs to be examined.
There are two major parts to the 'Ayushman Bharat' scheme. The first of these is the Health Wellness Center . Under this, 1 lakh 50 thousand primary health centers and sub-centers are being converted into health wealth centers. The aim is to provide perfect primary health care to about three to five thousand people. The second part of the plan is one of the most spent programs in the world. In addition to reaching 50 crore beneficiaries through this medium, the plan is to provide second and third class healthcare insurance cover to the deprived families in the country. However, the scheme has been criticized for not being comprehensive and in many ways a guarantee of health.
A study conducted by the Institute of Economic Growth has raised serious concerns about the future of the scheme. The current premium under the Prime Minister's Janaarogya Yojana is likely to increase from Rs 1,100 per family to Rs 2,400 per family due to the annual increase in the number of hospital admissions. Taking this into account, 75% of the total provision for healthcare in the next five years . will be spent on this scheme alone. As a result, other important health schemes will receive a small amount.
Till February 25, 2019, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Jharkhand and Bihar have distributed 10,958,358 e-cards and availed huge benefits of this scheme. On the other hand, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu have the highest number of patients. As on June 18, 2019, 3,74,35,078 e-cards have been distributed across the country and 29,16,020 patients have availed health services.
While the scheme seems to have had some success so far , some states have turned their backs on it, while others have stepped in after the initial few months. The high cost of health insurance premiums, investment in new technologies, scope disputes and complex legal issues have raised questions about the scheme's acceptability across India.
According to the Delhi government's allegation, the 'Ayushman Bharat' scheme has neglected the primary and basic elements of health and focused only on superficial things. Therefore, the Delhi government aims to bring healthcare to the doorsteps of every citizen by strengthening existing services like Mohalla Clinics, Polyclinics and Special Hospitals.
Like Delhi, Telangana and Odisha have given priority to the implementation of Arogya Shree and Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana, respectively. States like Punjab and Chhattisgarh have also raised questions about the obstacles in the implementation of this prestigious scheme , as well as the amount of financial contribution to be made by the Center and the states for this scheme.
According to experts, a state like Jharkhand, which lags behind in healthcare , where no one has control over healthcare, private healthcare in rural areas is not efficient enough and the quality of healthcare is inferior to other states, cannot afford to implement public health schemes. In fact, implementing this plan in such a state is a challenge.
The Chhattisgarh government has come up with a separate scheme for preventive health care. It aims to reach out to as many people as possible by spending on outpatient services and medicines. Through this, the Chhattisgarh government is focusing on reviving the old healthcare system of primary health care facilities, network of hopefuls and procurement of medicines .
States like Kerala, Punjab and Tamil Nadu have been at the top of the Policy Commission's health index since before the launch of the 'Ayushman Bharat' scheme . The question is what new benefits will come to such states from the new scheme. Moreover, the outcome of the scheme has been called into question as only a state like Chhattisgarh, which is number one in implementing the scheme, has stepped in.
According to the CEO of the Prime Minister's Public Health Scheme, there are two main misconceptions about the scheme. It needs to go away. One of them is that the scheme does not directly address the problem. Expenditure under this scheme is being made elsewhere except for primary health care, which is in vain. Basically this objection is unfounded. It is important to keep in mind that the root cause of all health problems is in primary care and that the cost of second and third tier health care is dependent on the cost of primary health care and benefits private hospitals.
Pre-authorized requests and claims submitted in March
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| Data Source (www.pmjay.gov.in) |
Primary and secondary health services are complementary. Due to rising age and rising incidence of non-communicable diseases, the scheme seeks to strengthen second and third tier health services, which are mainly provided by the private sector and do not benefit the poor, through the scheme, which can benefit most of the people below the poverty line. The scope of this scheme is somewhat different from other schemes and mainly in the form of surgery. This includes surgeries such as angioplasty, coronary artery bypass graft, joint replacement, valve replacement / repair. The 'Ayushyaman Bharat' scheme is a link between PMJAY and the Health Wellness Center.
There is no gap between first aid and preventive treatment, a fact we should keep in mind. The 'Ayushman Bharat' scheme has the potential to strengthen both these types of services. The success of the scheme in the short term underscores the urgency of therapeutic treatment and the scheme will emerge as a global health shield in the future. The pace of public disclosure of treatment under the Prime Minister's Public Health Scheme is relatively slow. In order to bring more transparency in this scheme and to create a sense of accountability among the concerned, the statistics of Janaarogya Yojana need to be made public as soon as possible.
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