He recommends that there is a need for disruptive thinking to innovate funding for healthcare
Aster DM Healthcare recently inaugurated its flagship hospital Aster Medcity in Kochi. Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Dr Azad Moopen, Chairman of Aster DM Healthcare, spoke to Express Healthcare, on the measures needed to make healthcare affordable.
He said, “Healthcare is becoming expensive due to high cost of technology and manpower because healthcare industry is hugely technology and manpower intensive. So it is not the question of providing free healthcare but asking who will pay for it or how do we fund it. In India, healthcare has been the state government’s mandate.”
“Some states specially in the south are doing very well. The health index is good and people have access to healthcare. For example; Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka have a number of social schemes to fund healthcare for 25-35 per cent of marginalised section of the population. But it’s not the same everywhere. So, one way is for the government to increase investment in healthcare by allocating more funds larger percentage of the GDP for healthcare. Also government could look at channeling funds from other sectors such as defense and infrastructure into healthcare,”said Dr Moopen.
He also stated that yet another aspect where the government should renew its focus is in innovative taxation policy. By combining preventive healthcare efforts with apt taxation measures the government can open a path to creating funds. Products like cigarettes and gutkha are already taxed but junk food, colas and other group of products that are known to cause debilitating diseases should also attract higher taxes. This surplus fund could then be used to treat marginalised patients, he opined.
There has to be disruptive thinking to innovate funding for healthcare, recommends Dr Moopen.
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