Few things to know about India’s Healthcare System

According to the World Health Organization’s 2000 report, India was listed at 120 out of 190 countries. India’s healthcare system has evolved as a promising sector both in terms of employment and revenue. It includes a broad spectrum of medical equipment and devices, services-hospitals, health insurance & outsourcing, medical tourism, and clinical research. 

The Healthcare sector in India is continuously growing due to increasing service portfolio, coverage, and expenditure funded by private segments. Still, the healthcare system struggles with different issues, including less-than-adequate human resources and low institutions. 

Primary, secondary, and tertiary care services are part of the three-tier structure of India’s healthcare system. According to IPHS (Indian Public Health Standards), the delivery of primary healthcare is offered to the rural population through CHC (Community Health Centre) and PHC (Primary Health Centre). Secondary care is provided through sub-district hospitals and district hospitals. Additionally, tertiary care is extended at central/regional level super-specialty hospitals or institutions. While there is an urgency to focus on the three-tier structure of India’s healthcare system, the government must look towards enhancing the healthcare system. Let’s check out the five essential things you should know about India’s healthcare system.

Things to know about India’s Healthcare System

Underdeveloped medical devices sectors: The medical device sector is the fastest growing and the smallest part of India’s healthcare system. This sector has experienced various challenges which have prevented its development and growth. Compared to other manufacturing industries, the medical device sector is small in size. This industry is still at a growing phase with the usage of medical devices and sub-optimal penetration.  

The lack of accreditation, harmonized standards, legal requirements, regulatory system, proper guidance on quality and best practices, etc., are affecting medical device industries. Medical devices continue to be under DACA (Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940). The Drugs Act requires reform as it doesn’t equitably and uniformly regulate quality from one state to another without an NSRA (National Singular Regulatory Authority). Device manufacturers and experts are demanding a medical device act and law to regulate the medical device industry in India. According to the Economic Times, the medical device industry is seen as the most hopeful area for future growth by regional and foreign investors.

Shortage of trained and efficient human resources: Any discussion of India’s healthcare delivery should comprise the most central characters concerned- the skilled and efficient workforce. Are they appropriately trained, have an adequate number of resources, and are they equitably deployed? One of the critical issues in India remains a severe shortage of efficient and skilled experts in the medical industry; it includes primary healthcare workers, paramedics, nurses, and doctors. This issue remains troublesome in the rural portion, where approximately 60% of India’s populace resides. 

According to the survey of 2011, India has roughly 20 healthcare experts per 10,000 populations. According to India’s rural healthcare statistics (2015), about 27% of doctor posts at PHCs were unoccupied, and 11% of auxiliary nurse posts were vacant. Ideally, this employment isn’t conveyed, with most liking to work in regions where foundation and facilities for family life and development are higher. Additionally, the more unfortunate spaces of Northern and Central India have lower densities of well-being employees contrasted with the Southern states. While the private area represents a large portion of the country’s wellbeing uses, the state-run wellbeing area is the solitary choice for a significant part of the provincial and peri-metropolitan spaces of the country. This problem can be resolved by increasing the capacity of training and teaching institutes. 

Unmanageable patient-load: Due to India’s high population, It is challenging to offer quality healthcare services to every patient. Even in the COVID-19 pandemic, India’s health sector faces the stress of an uncontrollable patient load. The Indian government can reduce the patient load by increasing healthcare clinics, healthcare institutions, research centers, advanced medical labs, and hospitals. To manage patient flow, healthcare needs to adopt cutting-edge technology and streamline the clinical and operational processes.

Demand for basic primary healthcare and infrastructure: India’s healthcare system has been suffering from deficient infrastructure due to a lack of well-equipped medical institutes. India faces a developing need to fix its fundamental wellbeing issues in the space of intestinal sickness, HIV, tuberculosis, and the runs. Furthermore, kids under five are conceived underweight, and generally, 8% of them pass on before their 4th birthday. Unfortunately, just a tiny level of the populace approaches quality sterilization, which further fuels some vital worries. For essential medical services, the Indian government spends just about 40% of the nation’s complete medical care financial fund. It is only a negligible portion of what the US and the UK go through consistently. One approach to tackle this issue is to address the foundation issues. It tends to be finished by normalizing symptomatic strategies, building rustic centers, creating streamlined wellbeing IT systems, and developing productivity. The requirement for skilled clinical students keeps growing, particularly in country regions that neglect to draw in new students due to monetary reasons. A sizeable level of the students additionally travels to another country to seek higher studies and business.

Increasing Pharmaceutical sector: According to IBEF (Indian Brand Equity Foundation), India is the 3rd most significant exporter of pharmaceutical items in terms of quantity. Around 70% of the market is composed of cheap generic drugs. The growth of primary care facilities is playing an essential role in shaping the pharmaceutical industry.