Public Health – India Spends The Lowest On This In The World!

There are various countries in this world which do not spend much on the public health. However, you will be surprised to note that India is one of these countries! Yes, it can be difficult to imagine that a country with the second largest population in the world spends quite a low amount on public health. It is a surprising fact to note that 80% of the healthcare spending in India comes from the private sector. The Indian Government only spends 20% of its budget on public health. So, when you find commercial ads for roads or metro, etc. you might be tempted to wonder why there is so less spending on the healthcare sector.

According to a report published by Accenture, Delivering e-health in India — Analysis and Recommendations, this 20% budget for public health puts India amongst the lowest in the world. The report further goes on to say as to how the focus of the Indian Government has been mainly on health infrastructure and less on the productivity of that infrastructure. It will be surprising for you to find that India has fewer doctors, hospitals and other health infrastructure than any other BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) nations. As a result, the country forces its people to spend a greater percentage of their incomes on private healthcare in comparison to other BRICS nations.

As you go through the title and the topics of Delivering e-health in India — Analysis and Recommendations, an important thing that will force you to think is that it is important to have the right people, right process and right technology on top. Considering the Indian perspective, the healthcare department is run and managed by a motley crew of people who might not be right for the job! We will agree to the fact that healthcare, especially in India, does not attract the kind of professionals like FMCG or Technology attracts. You might be wondering as to why no one is interested in healthcare. One of the major reasons why no one is interested in this department is that for most people the pay is not good compared to FMCG or Technology departments. Moreover, this department might not provide any kind of social security, especially in India. After all, good intentions are not the best way to run a house.

Lower spending on public health not only points toward a sagging economy but it could also indicate problems in financial management in the health ministry. Finance ministry's data analysis shows that  until September 2014, the health ministry has only spent just 42% or less than the funds allocated for it in the annual budget. This is even less than the money spend on public health in the same period last year (2012 – 13) when Congress was in power.

It should be noted here that government's own rules prohibit ministries from spending more than 33% or 1/3rd of their annual allocation in the last quarter of any financial year. So, if a ministry wishes to exhaust its allocated funds, then it will have to spend most of its funds between April and December of a financial year. If they fail to spend it, their spending will be restricted for the last quarter.

Time and again, crisis in the field of medicines have been averted in India with the help of global medical organizations and pharmaceutical companies. Many a times, this crisis comes up due to bureaucratic delays. So, until there is a solution to all these problems, it is not going to be easy to find any good people to build the process on which technology can act.