The ambitious National Health Mission announced by the PM Modi recently is been questioned and doubted by several so called experts in health care sector and other dynasty culture following political parties. The insurance scheme is initially aimed to cover 10 crore families and 50 crore people. The scheme is IT enabled cashless in-patient coverage aimed to achieve quick medical care. The question of doubt stem mostly from the initial budget allocation for the scheme which is 10,000 crore with a possibility of the allocation may be increased to 20,000-30,000 crores.
The self-attested experts in health care sector feel that the actual fund needed for the scheme is as high as 2.5 to 3 lakh crore as the coverage rate (cost) indicated in the scheme for various medical procedures and interventions are far too low than the actual. All those who criticize and wonder the success of the proposed revolutionary insurance scheme conveniently wants to forget the fact that most important fact that most of the present day doctors and private hospitals are looting poor people by over-charging and subjecting the poor people to several unwanted diagnostic procedures and sometime even subjecting to needless surgeries.
The first task which the Prime Minister Modi set to accomplish was to fix harness to all those doctors and private hospitals that leech out poor man’s blood. The nexus between several doctors in private practice with pharma companies for mutual benefit is well known. Similarly several doctors having under- the-table dealing with different diagnostic centres is also well known. The above situation only has made the poor people to shell out their hard earned money for benefiting the ‘doctor-pharma-diagnostic centre syndicate’ than own benefit but unfortunately the poor people are made to believe that they are given the best treatment in such hospitals. The treatment cost is high because it is highly inflated by such dacoits in medical profession.
If the government can rationalize the treatments and unify the treatment cost across India and punish all those offenders by suspending their registration, the insurance scheme proposed by Modi govt. with the initial fund allocated for the same shall be surplus than being insufficient.
None of the so called health experts wants to criticize the overcharging and all notorious money minting practices of several doctors in private practice and the private hospitals but instead show great generosity to the path-breaking, revolutionary scheme initiated by Modi govt.
The insurance coverage of 5 lakh launched by the government appears to be small purely because of the over and hyper inflated treatment cost by all those engaged in unethical medical practice and looting the poor people by exploiting their anxiety and innocence.
Most of the doctors want to rely on various machine based diagnosis these days than studying carefully the symptoms of the patient, age, food habit, social factors, economic status and other details to arrive the diagnosis. Nothing wrong in relaying on accurate and non-subjective methods of diagnosis so the treatment can be specific and focused. But subjecting poor people to enormous economic burden by pushing them to various unnecessary diagnostic procedures and justifying such practice as a part of accurate diagnosis or prudent medical practice is quite inhumane and needs to be condemned. Such medical practitioners are bane to humanity.
In how many occasions the doctor and private clinics are genuine in subjecting the poor patients to costly diagnostic procedures just for accurate diagnosis than for earning more money, each doctor must ask their conscience.
Government is committed to ensure better health care delivery system to poor people.
Modiji being a leader born in a poor family in a village understand the needs of poor people better than the dynasts have done nothing either to the country or for themselves but have inherited the political legacy. That is why Modiji has launched the most ambitious program especially for poor people.
Considering the commitment of the present government in general and Modiji in particular to reach assured health care delivery system to poor people, the private doctors and private hospitals must come forward voluntarily to offer their noble service to humanity than converting their role as brokers and commission agents in health care service. The insurance coverage and the budget allocation is quite sufficient to begin with if everyone in the health care service system acts responsibly and value and respect the real distress of poor. Time has come every Indian must think of India and to save India, the vision and mission of Modiji must continue therefore India need Modiji in 2019 and beyond.
