(This article concentrates on the steps the
government should implement to tackle the health issues using the resources
available in our country. The next article will focus on creation of awareness
and the steps each individual should take in making India healthy).
A health care
model is designed to solve the health care issues in our nation in an effective
and economic manner. The main aim of the proposed health care model is to make
the government the BIG DADDY in the Health care industry so that each and every
citizen of India gets efficient medical facilities irrespective of their
economic, social and geographic barrier.
The government
must realize that it cannot do the task of making India healthy alone as it
does not have the infrastructure and facilities. A private-public partnership
should exist in the Indian health care system. They must grant a license for
the corporate hospitals to operate in the major cities. And this license should
be granted only if the big shot medicos install a primary health centre in the
nearby rural area that will work under a subsidized rate.
Highly skilled
doctors are aplenty in our nation and the government must channel these
invaluable resources in a proper manner. The doctors must also be granted a
license to practice medicine in our year. They must be granted a license that
will be renewed once a year only if they serve in rural areas for 52 days in a
calendar year.
For this scheme
to be implemented, a transparency in the medical system is in need that will
ensure records are maintained properly.
India has making
strides globally with medical tourism in our nation growing at 30% per year and
the value is projected to escalate. The government must introduce Medical
Inland Duty that requires medical tourists to pay 5% of the expenditure
concurred by them for their treatment.
Nowadays, every
single commodity that is available comes in the branded form and that includes
medicines also. Due to a competitive market, the rivalry between pharmaceutical
companies in a bid to overtake one another has resulted in the medicines
becoming expensive.
The doctors must
hereby prescribe Generic Medicines- i.e. medicines in their molecular form. The
medical shops must also have a database of medicines that lists them in their
generic and branded format categorically. This would mean that a person can go
to the medicine shop and buy the medicines according to his economic standards.
The next step
involved is to implement technology to effectively increase the standards of
our health care system. One such upcoming technology is Telemedicine. The concept
of virtual doctors combined with telemedicine facilities will ensure access to
health care in remote areas. The primary health centers that are set up by
corporate hospitals will be equipped with telemedicine. This will tackle the
severe technical manpower faced in hospitals across the nation.
A main flaw in
the current health care system is the lack of proper network. A Health
Database must be set up across the entire nation that keeps a record of
every patient. This database can be accessed with the help of a Health
Card that is mandate for every citizen. In this way, we can avoid any
repetition of investigations leading to a cost effective treatment procedure.
The database will be interconnected across the various states for easier
reference.
Our country must
realize that in order to attain the tag of a developed country, the government
must take pro-active steps in the best interests of the nation.
