THE GIST of Editorial for UPSC Exams : 04 June 2020 (Insurance-driven healthcare hasn’t worked for Covid-19 (The Hindu))

Insurance-driven healthcare hasn’t worked for Covid-19 (The Hindu)

Mains Paper 2:Health
Prelims level: PMJAY scheme
Mains level: Limitations of insurance driven health infrastructure in India

Context:

• The treatment of Covid-19 was brought under ‘Ayushman Bharat’ (or the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana) exactly two months back, and yet complaints of patients being overcharged by private hospitals continue unabated.
• Taking a serious view of the issue, the Supreme Court last week asked the Centre to identify hospitals where Covid-19 patients can be treated free or at minimal cost. 

PMJAY scheme:

• The PMJAY scheme, launched ......................................................................................

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Cautioned over private health sector data:

• It is not clear what percentage of India’s ₹2.4 lakh crore private health sector, that is estimated to account for three out of every four hospital beds in India and eight out of ten ventilator hospitals, has stepped up its operations.
• Experts argue that only 10 per cent of the Covid-19 patients have been treated by private hospitals. Meanwhile, Centre and State government orders on roping in private hospitals have been tardy, if not pointless.
• On May 29, the Delhi Government requisitioned the services of five hotels to be attached with five private hospitals.
• The order caps rates at ₹5,000 per day as room rent in addition to hospital/investigation services as also ₹2,000 for oxygen support per bed per day. Who picks up the tab here is not clear; for even the well-off, this is a tall order.

Limitation for diseases other than Covid-19:

• The patients suffering from diseases other than Covid-19 have been abandoned, being unable to access hospitals.
• Data from the National Health Authority (NHA) that manages the PMJAY indicates that the number of treatments for as many as 825 types of unique non-Covid procedures by both private and government facilities dropped over 20 per cent between February and April.
• The number...........................................................................................

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Conclusion:

• Clearly, there are limitations to an insurance-driven approach; this has come to the fore even in the US.
• There can be no alternative to State-funded healthcare, for which the funds must be set aside.

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Prelims Questions:

Q.1)With reference to the PM SVANidhi, consider the following statements:
1. It is a Special Micro-Credit Facility Scheme for providing affordable loans to street vendors.
2. The vendors can avail a working capital loan of up to Rs. 10,000, which is repayable in monthly instalments in the tenure of one year.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer...............................

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Mains Questions:
Q.1)What are the key limitations of the insurance driven health infrastructure in India?