Is Tertiary care Treatment Affordable to All? - Explore Alternative (s) for Healthcare Financing

Health indicators such as life expectancy at birth, infant mortality rate etc. are some of the tools to measure the social development of that country. Due to advancement in technology, disease profile etc. expenditure on health care, especially tertiary care treatment is increasing day by day, and is beyond the reach of common people. This is one of the hindrances in the social development. India is a developing country and approx. 35% population is below poverty line. Since many people now are below poverty line or in a lower income group, people do not have any feeling to save or cannot save the money for future expenditure on health; therefore the tertiary care facility is inaccessible to a major fraction of the society.

A study was conducted at Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) Lucknow in the month of May-June 2007 with objectives to find out the level of awareness about hospital care financing, analyze the mode and mechanism of Health care financing and to assess the affordability of the tertiary care treatment by the patients undergoing treatment at this centre. A prospective study of 154 patients by floating the structured questionnaire containing 17 questions, covering various issues of HCF was carried out.

While observing the HCF pattern of High cost treatment diseases related to ICU, kidney transplant, cardiovascular surgery, Haematology, Surgical Gastroenterology etc. (expenditure limit more than Rupees (Rs) 75000 so far incurred in one patient), the study revealed that the average size of family is 6 members with an income of approx. Rs. 10185 per month per family. Average expenditure so far incurred by one shows that majority 115 (75%) patients bear the expenses themselves (out of pocket) It was also observed that approx. 50% out of pocket expenditure was met by taking loan from the bank, relatives, selling of assets and mortgaging the assets. approx. 34 (22%) reported that their expenditure will be reimbursed or got advance payment. Only 40 patients out of pocket had received some sort of assistance from some of the of the sources like CM, PM Fund and other types of donation. The study further highlights that average treatment expenditure already incurred in one patient i.e. Rupees 219376/- has exceeded the per capita expenditure on health care of individual (Rs. 1500/-), & total expenditure on whole family (Rs. 9000/-) and even total estimated annual income of one member (Rs.20370/) and whole family (approx. 122220/-). Only 2 (1.2%) respondents had health insurance policy.

The present study findings reflect that the tertiary & high cost treatment is beyond the reach of majority and will have great impact on the economy and health profile of society. In view of above, it is the need of the hour to strengthen the mechanism of the HCF by mass awareness with great emphasis is to be given to meet the "out of pocket expenditure" and encourage the "health insurance" mechanism. This may help in providing the tertiary care treatment to many people; otherwise the treatment cost is unaffordable.