TRANSFORMING THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM: THE PUBLIC-PRIVATE HEALTHCARE DICHOTOMY IN INDIA IN THE ERA OF DIGITAL HEALTH
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17501/24246735.2020.6103Keywords:
digital health, National Digital Health Mission, private healthcare sector, utilisation of healthcare serviceAbstract
Digital health initiatives have become popular in all jurisdictions across the globe. The
digital health move, though it is envisioned as a cost-effective way to ensure the availability of health
care services especially for the people who live in rural areas, its success depends on the response of
the health care system and the state control and regulation. India lacks a comprehensive statesponsored or state-regulated health care system and more than 70 percent of people utilise the private
sector medical services. In this backdrop, the implementation of the National Digital Health Mission
(NDHM), announced by the Government of India very recently, will be critical. Thus, this research
paper strives to bring out the public-private disjunction in the availability and utilisation of public
and private health care facilities, issues of health care financing and legal regulation of clinical
establishments in the public and private sector. This study uses the doctrinal method and analyses the
Five-Year Plans, National Sample Survey Reports, National Health Profile, National Health
Accounts Estimates for India and other Government Reports and independent studies to detail the
public-private dichotomy. However, this study finds limitations in presenting the current position of
private health care service providers due to the unavailability of updated authoritative government
reports/ studies/ surveys. On reviewing the currents trends in the public and private health care
sector, the study finds that the private sector has surpassed the public sector in all means, including
health provisioning, utilisation, and financing. The NDHM is a laudable initiative to ensure
affordable health care to millions of people in India. However, any move to implement it, leaving the
fundamental issue of deep-rooted public-private dichotomy existing in the healthcare sector will be
detrimental. It will result in a digital divide in the public and private healthcare sector and gross
violation of patients’ rights and mismanagement of health information.
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