Blog
There is a great irony, which underscores India’s battle against preventable childhood diseases: although we are the number-one producer of vaccines, we are also a primary exporter of these vaccines to other (mainly Western) nations. In essence, we are helping to protect the lives of the world’s children while our children continue to die well before their time.
The aim of this three-part series has been to explore some of the domestic challenges that India faces while it tries to balance the healthcare demands of its citizens with those of lucrative paying customers from abroad who wish to access our nation’s exemplary medical services.
As discussed in the first article in this short series, India faces multiple domestic healthcare challenges even whilst it positions itself as a global leader within the burgeoning and lucrative meditourism industry. Nationwide, our citizens are facing an increasingly difficult time locating safe and affordable healthcare,....
India has undergone a substantial transformation over the last two decades, positioning itself in the global landscape as an economic forced to be reckoned with. Our global reputation has improved due to our demonstrated prowess in fields like technology and industry. More recently, India has sought to become a premiere healthcare destination for international visitors who require safe, affordable, and high-quality medical care.
Uniform access to health services continues to present a challenge throughout the nation. Visiting a health practitioner can be especially difficult for people living in the rural and remote areas that typically have trouble attracting health practitioners. Residents of such areas often have to travel long distances at a great deal of expense in order to access the services that many in urban areas take for granted...
Modern global healthcare brings with it a growing expectation of patient health literacy. While this includes basic functions such as making health care appointments and being able to read and understand health literature like pamphlets, health literacy has come to mean a great deal more in the 21st century. According to the World Health Organization, health literate patients are those who have the social and cognitive skills necessary to access health care services in a way which promotes their ongoing good health.
Often, it is stated with much vehemence, that the socio-economic development of a country contributes greatly to the health of its citizens. But are we getting it wrong? Are we placing the carriage before the horse? Should we be looking at it the other way? Perhaps it is time to consider healthcare’s role in furthering the economic development of a country.
With a brand new Government in place and forecasts of high economic growth rates in the air, it's time to take a fresh look at our country's healthcare landscape.
India's healthcare system is ranked low at 112 out of 190 countries in the World Health Report by the World Health Organization, challenging expectations set by our government commissions and raising some key questions in every man's mind.
As one of the fastest growing sectors in India, the healthcare sector today faces many challenges, but financing is certainly not one of those major concerns. The healthcare sector sources funds from tax, and insurance, for starters, both of which generate large volumes of money. Insurance, furthermore, is divided between government schemes and private players. Commercial loans also come into healthcare financing.
