Insurance covers only 34 per cent in India
With the healthcare expenditure on the rise, the need for appropriate insurance covers and proper schemes is required.
Hyderabad: Only 34 per cent people in India are covered under health insurance in 2016-17, according to the national health profile which highlights the need for better insurance cover and timely reimbursements.
There are only 4,37,457 people covered under insurance and 79 per cent of them are by public insurance companies and remaining by private companies. With the healthcare expenditure on the rise, the need for appropriate insurance covers and proper schemes is required.
The cost of treatment has seen a rise from Rs 621 per captia public expenditure in 2009 to Rs 1,112 in 2015-16. This is a huge rise and it means that there is a need for effective insurance schemes so that the people can opt for treatment.
Dr Bhaskar Rao, senior cardiologist and CEO of KIMS Hospital explained, “The cost of treatment is linked to quality of treatment and the best medical standards are followed in India. Health insurance in both private and public sector has to be framed to give the people the maximum benefit.”
While the tertiary sector is dealing with a major burden of small and big cases, there is a consensus that the primary healthcare centres across have to be strengthened, a senior government doctor said.