55% of Indian households do not seek healthcare from public sector hospitals, this was among one of the statistics that were revealed in the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4).
The survey also stated that the primary reason people don’t go to government facilities for their health requirements is due to the poor quality of care. This was the view of 48% of the households the survey covereds.
The second reason, as reported by 45% of the households was the lack of a facility nearby. This was followed by the long waiting time at these facilities, as pointed out by 41% of the respondents. These reasons have contributed to Indians seeking healthcare in the private sector. The ratio of which is 56% in urban and 49% in rural areas.
Private sector healthcare is expensive, and results in erosion of savings for those not having health insurance. The statistics for health insurance is abysmal with only 20% of women aged 15-49 and 23% of men between 15-49 years of age having any sort of health insurance coverage. The use of government facilities is highest in Uttar Pradesh at 80%, and lowest in Lakshadweep at less than 1%. The highest number of households having health insurance coverage was in Andhra Pradesh at 75%, while the lowest was in Jammu & Kashmir, Manipur and Lakshadweep.
*Source: Live Mint
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