- Cap private hospital room costs to 3-star hotel rates.
- Mandate upfront cost estimates for complex medical interventions.
- Establish autonomous public multi-speciality hospitals in divisions.
Rising costs of hospitalisation has been among the major challenges faced by the people in India. With persistent demands of cost rationalisation, reduce out-of-pocket expenses (OOPE), and strict laws, Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare has made a slew of recommendations to the government, including capping the hospital room cost to around the price of a 3-start hotel in vicinity.
The panel tabled a report in Rajya Sabha on August 7, titled, "Affordability and Accessibility of Healthcare Facilities in Public and Private Sector".
The report argues that despite being expensive by about 5 to 10 times than public hospitals, private healthcare providers cater to nearly 70 per cent of the population.
What are other key recommendations of the panel?
- To protect the patient from the financial unpredictability, the panel recommended that all tertiary care hospitals should be mandated to provide patients with a legally binding upfront cost estimate prior to initiating any complex or prolonged medical intervention.
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- The costs like that of a resident doctor, nursing, disposable consumables, meals, and laundry can be added to the basic room tariff to rationalise the overall cost.
- A dedicated financial navigators should be deployed at hospitals to help patients and their families understand treatment costs, available philanthropic assistance and health assurance limits.
- Arguing the need for a strong public healthcare system, the panel has recommended to establish autonomous, efficiently managed public multi-speciality hospitals in every revenue division. This could reduce patientss dependence on major cities, and minimise travel for tertiary care.
- The report by the panel led by Samajwadi Party chief Ram Gopal Yadav also bats for reviewing and rationalising FDI limits concerning the operational management and acquisition of existing healthcare facilities. It argues for creating incentives to redirect foreign investment towards local manufacturing in pharma and medical technologies sectors.
- To attract private investments for multi-speciality health facilities in tier-2 and tier-3 cities and rural areas, the parliamentary panel has proposed incentives, including tax holidays, soft loans, subsidised land and concessional electricity.