National Family Health Survey by the government has found a huge gap between the southern and northern parts of the country in health insurance coverage. Southern states like Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Telangana were found to be ahead of their northern counterparts in insuring their medical expenses under health coverage policy.
While these states showed highest health insurance coverage, northern states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Assam showed very poor health insurance penetration. Andhra tops the list with 75% of the families covered under health insurance policies while in Lakshadweep, Jammu & Kashmir and Manipur, less than 5% families have a health cover for them.
The survey highlighted the poor condition of public healthcare system and revealed that people generally prefer private hospitals when family members fall ill. It stated that 51% of people prefer private hospitals whereas 45% went for government or municipal hospitals.
The use of government health facilities is highest in Uttar Pradesh (80%), Bihar (78%) and lowest in Tripura (9%), the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (3%), and Lakshadweep (less than 1%). The most commonly reported reason for not using government health facilities at the national level is the poor quality of care.
The survey also highlighted that distance to healthcare facilities is the most potent problem faced by the citizens. While 25% of them cited money as the main problem, 27% believed transport system is not adequate and 30% people said that distance to hospitals and healthcare facilities is a major drawback.
*Source: The New Indian Express
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