New Delhi, September 12
The government spent Rs 1815 per capita on health in 2018-19, whereas the out-of-pocket per capita spending was much higher at Rs 2155, show the latest National Health Accounts released on Monday.
The public health expenditure as a percentage of GDP fell from 1.35 pc in 2017-18 to 1.28 per cent in the latest national health estimates and government expenditure as a share of total health expenditure stood at 40.6 pc as against 48.2 pc out of pocket expenditure as a share of total expenditure in the given year.
The National Health Accounts report reveals that Rs 5,96,440 crores was the total health expenditure (THE) in India in 2018-19.
Out of this the government spending was Rs. 2,42,219 crores which is 40.61 pc of THE, 1.28 pc , of the GDP and Rs.1,815 per capita. This amounts to about 4.81 pc of the General Government Expenditure in 2018-19.
Although the latest estimates show declining trends in out of pocket expenditure as a share of THE (64.2% to 48.2% between 2013-14 and 2018–19) the household out of pocket expenditure on health makes up nearly half of the total health spend in 2018-19.
”Household’s Out of Pocket Expenditure on health (OOPE) is Rs. 2,87,573 crores (48.21% of THE, 1.52% of GDP, Rs. 2,155 per capita). Private Health Insurance expenditure is Rs 39,201 crores (6.57% of THE),” says the report.
On the upside, it shows increasing trends in social security expenditure on health as a percentage of the total health expenditure.
As against 4.2 pc of THE accounting for social security spending in 2013, today 9.6 pc of THE is being spent on social security, signalling government’s attempts to broaden the health security net.
What is worrisome though is—Current Health Expenditure (CHE) in 2018-2019 was Rs. 5,40,246
crores –90.58 pc of THE with the households’ share in the current expenditure pie being a whopping 60.11 pc as against Union government’s 11.71 pc and state government’s 19.63 pc.
The report further shows private hospitals make up for bulk of current health expenditure, with Rs. 1,55,013 crores — 28.69 pc of CHE—attributed to private hospitals and Rs. 93,689 crores — 17.34 pc to Government Hospitals.
Maximum proportion of current health expenditure (1,86,625 crores of CHE) went to Inpatient Curative Care which is 34.55 pc of all current spending on health.
”Rs 1,01,902 crores went to outpatient curative care (18.86% of CHE), Rs 4,170 crores to Day Curative Care (0.77% of CHE) Rs 18,909 crores for patient transportation (3.50% of CHE), Rs 22,526 crores to Laboratory and Imaging services (4.17% of CHE), Rs 1,01,928 crores to Prescribed Medicines (18.87% of CHE), Rs 18,881 crores to Over the Counter (OTC) Medicines (3.49% of CHE), Therapeutic Appliances and Medical Goods of about Rs 643 crores (0.12% of CHE), Preventive Care of about Rs 50,991 crores (9.44% of CHE), and others of about Rs 12,258 crores (2.27% of CHE) also constituted current health expenditure. About Rs 21,413 crores (3.96% of CHE) are attributed to Governance and Health System and Financing Administration,” the report shows.
