Health insurance can help you get cashless treatment
More than a month after the demonetisation move, the nation has begun to realise its implications. The move has affected several practices and processes that require daily cash transaction. A significant area where the cash crunch has shown significant impact is the access to healthcare.
Decline in Healthcare Delivery System
In an economy that primarily runs on cash, the healthcare sector has taken a severe blow from demonetisation. There have been requests to postpone surgeries, cancellation of appointments and several patients have dropped from clinic follow-ups. Usually, national festivals, school holidays and unfavourable weather reduce the number of patients, but none of these reasons contributed in the past month.
In the Indian healthcare system, people travel from remote areas to access healthcare facilities. For example, most people that visit AIIMS in Delhi are not from Delhi alone but from different parts of North India. The cash crunch has significantly hit people's ability to move out of their hometown to access healthcare facilities.
Dip in Patient Numbers at Private Hospitals
Private sectors deliver around 70% of healthcare in the country. When government hospitals with a little or no demand on patient's pocket are facing a severe blow, it is not difficult to imagine the condition of private hospitals. Patients are coming to hospitals but not initiating the actual treatment due to lack of cash.
The common man has cut down on his healthcare expenses. Patients from the middle-class background suffering from critical illnesses have been forced to take credits. Although the inpatients are not facing serious problems, the inflow of patients has taken a severe blow despite several efforts from the hospitals.