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Inadequate feeder system

Young Bites. Dated: 2/22/2018 11:13:01 AM

India suffers from an acute shortage of secondary and tertiary hospitals, a significant shortfall in specialists and specialized equipment, and a rigid regulatory framework combined with corrupt enforcement. All of this leads to appalling quality for the medical system in the country. Add to this a hopelessly inadequate feeder system from preventive health to primary care to secondary and tertiary referral and you have the makings of system that is so completely broken that it may not be fixable without a zero-base approach. The overall health scenario of the J&K state is expecting for proper planning and management. The Govt is putting lot of efforts for health improvements in the system but rural focus is still not enough. The area which needs attention is service sector. Emergency care including trauma and disaster management service is available only in Srinagar and Jammu cities while towns and rural areas have hardly these services. Most of times patients while being shifted to these centres die on the way. Rural folks, Gujjars, Bakarwals, residents of remote areas have limited access under National Health Programmes. Lack of drugs and selling of sub-standard drugs are other issues in medical services. India has a vast health care system, but there remain many differences in quality between rural and urban areas as well as between public and private health care. Despite this, India is a popular destination for medical tourists, given the relatively low costs and high quality of its private hospitals. Rural areas often suffer from physician shortages, and disparities between states mean that residents of the poorest states often have less access to adequate healthcare than residents of relatively more affluent states. Lack of adequate coverage by the health care system in India means that many Indians turn to private healthcare providers although this is an option generally inaccessible to the poor. To help pay for healthcare costs, insurance is available, often provided by employers, but most Indians lack health insurance, and out-of-pocket costs make up a large portion of the spending on medical treatment in India. On the other hand private hospitals in India offer world class quality health care at a fraction of the price of hospitals in developed countries. This aspect of health care in India makes it a popular destination for medical tourists. India also is a top destination for medical tourists seeking alternative treatments, such as ayurvedic medicine. India is also a popular destination for students of alternative medicine.