A Check on Private Hospitals

Context: Pandemic induced health crisis has exposed the gaps in health insurance and private health system of India.

Remedial Measures for Ailing Health System

• Comprehensive public health law (recommended by Parliamentary Standing Committee): to keep tabs on private hospitals, especially those that get land on subsidised rates, and black marketing of medicines. (Update Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897)
• Relook steep cost of medical education: that keeps deserving candidates out of the reckoning and leads to unprincipled practices.
• Increase healthcare budget: 1.15% of the Gross Domestic Product in 2017 cannot meet the health needs of 1.3 billion people.

Conclusion: Remedial measures and utmost care needs to be ensured that the checks do not end in the corruption-riddled inspector raj.