Wealth of Health

Bilal Hussain

Though over the years there has been some improvement in health care available in Jammu and Kashmir, however, the infrastructure in shape of buildings, machinery and equipments, has not been able to keep pace with the expansion in the state.

The health infrastructure in J&K at all levels suffers from shortages that are both qualitative and quantitative in nature. This fiscal alone investment of Rs 1757 crore was budgeted for improving health infrastructure of the state. An investment of Rs 857 crore under the state plan and Rs 900 crore under central sector is expected in the health sector. Even though some investment was made in capital infrastructure of Primary Health Care Institutions through an externally aided Indian Population Project-VII in the early nineties followed by RCH & NRHM, there is need for major investment for building health care infrastructure and the government should increase budget for it.

A glimpse at the health sector of India would provide an idea where J&K stands. The Indian healthcare sector is poised to reach US$ 280 billion by the year 2020, thereby contributing an expected Gross Domestic Product (GDP) spend of 8 per cent by 2012 from 5.5 per cent in 2009, according to a report by an industry body. A US$ 36 billion industry today and growing at 15 per cent compound annual growth rate (CAGR), the Indian healthcare industry will reach the market value of US$ 280 billion by 2022.

The report clearly suggest that healthcare sector is going to be one of the major sectors that would fuel the economic growth and will contribute to the increased revenues, along with IT services and education sectors in India. Over 40 million new jobs and 200 billion increased revenues are expected to be generated by the Indian healthcare sector till 2020.

For the state, as per a study by the Directorate of Economics and Statistics in 2008-09, critical health indicators of J&K reveals dismal state of affairs: Average population covered per Institution is 3678, Bed Strength per lakh population is 94 and population per Doctor has been worked out as 2142 persons, which is below when compared to all India figures.

Increasing population, higher expenditure on lifestyles, rising market of health insurance, government initiatives for better medical infrastructure, and focus on Public Private Partnership (PPP) models could be some of the driving factors for the growth of healthcare sector in J&K.

Medical Tourism

The ecology of the state makes it fit for medical tourism industry and should be able to attract a large number of foreign visitors thereby contributing significantly to the state’s economy. All we need to have is adequate medical infrastructure to attract foreign patients.

See India this time serves to more than 850,000 foreign patients every year, India has been able to uphold a strategic advantage and with the existing 40 per cent CAGR, a leading industry body estimates that the medical tourism sector could rise to US$ 2.4 billion by 2015. If J&K is able to take even a very small pie out of this, it would mean a lot for the economic well being of the state.

Private Sector

From past few years the valley has witnessed mushrooming growth of nursing homes, clinical laboratories and other allied health services without proper regulations which has resulted to all possible vagaries of exploitation and misconduct. Due to the lack of regulations in private health sector vested players who only are bothered about their money are putting desperate people to lots of hardships and extract money from them to the core.

Health Insurance

What is pressing need of the day is to have a comprehensive health insurance scheme for the poor sections of the state to help ensure their better healthcare coverage. The health insurance would ensure better medical facilities to the otherwise forgotten section of the society.

The state should look for ways and means for implementation of Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana for workers in the unorganised sector who are below the poverty line so that most of people from the state could be benefited by the Yojana. Currently, Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana covers about 2 crore 50 lakh workers. About 4,500 private hospitals and 2,000 government hospitals are empanelled under the scheme. At present, beneficiaries need to pay only Rs 30 as registration fee while central and state government pays the premium to the insurer.

Earlier, the state government has announced that over 16,000 Kashmiri migrant families will get a health insurance cover, Rs 8 crore had be set apart for subsidizing migrants’ Health Insurance. Why can't same be extended to deserving poor families of the state.

New Initiatives

The state earlier had formed a Task Force on Health Sector Reforms here who had to focus on telemedicine, management and operation of health institutions, comprehensive policy for PPP projects, drug policy and medicines procurement system as thrust areas for reforms. However, till date there is almost negligible head way on any of these verticals in the sector.