Out-of-pocket medical expenses remain high in India - CAM Survey
New Delhi: The average out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) for hospitalisation, including institutional deliveries, in rural and urban India stood at ₹4,129 and ₹5,290 per household, respectively, between July 2022 and June 2023, according to the Comprehensive Annual Modular (CAM) Survey by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO).
OOPE refers to the expenses households bear at the time of receiving healthcare, and it is a key measure of financial protection in healthcare payments. The survey, released on Wednesday, was conducted as part of the 79th round of the National Sample Survey (NSS). Covering over 3 lakh households across India, the CAM survey aims to generate data on education, healthcare expenditure, digital use, financial inclusion, and asset possession, except for certain villages in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The survey also noted that rural and urban households spent an average of ₹539 and ₹606, respectively, on medical services not requiring hospitalisation within a 30-day period. Additionally, individual costs of hospitalisation in rural areas amounted to ₹1,035, with 91.3% being OOPE, while in urban areas, the cost was ₹1,879, with 60.9% from OOPE.
Despite government health initiatives, OOPE remains a significant burden. The survey reveals that the average cost of hospitalisation during the period was ₹4,496 in rural areas and ₹6,877 in urban areas. This indicates that rural households spent about 92% of their hospitalisation costs from their own pockets, while urban households covered approximately 77% of these costs through OOPE.
In contrast, the 75th NSS round in 2017-18 recorded higher average medical expenditures for hospitalisation, at ₹16,676 in rural areas and ₹26,475 in urban areas. This suggests some progress, likely influenced by schemes like Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), which provides health coverage of ₹5 lakh to nearly 50 crore Indians.
Health experts have also noted a rise in private health insurance uptake, especially post-Covid-19, as a contributing factor in reducing OOPE. However, public health specialists warn that OOPE alone does not provide a complete picture. Catastrophic healthcare expenditure (CHE) and the percentage of people pushed into poverty due to healthcare costs are also important indicators to assess financial protection in healthcare.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
