Along with a plethora of public health insurance schemes, there is also a need for augmenting public healthcare facilities in the country by increasing the budget allocation, according to K Sujatha Rao, former Union Health Secretary.
Rao was delivering the Dr V Chandramowli Memorial Lecture endowed by Essential Medical Services at Administrative Staff College (ASCI) here on Monday.
Referring to the global practices, Rao said in counties like the UK and Canada, the primary objective of the State was to provide healthcare for all.
The States should spend more on improving public healthcare while the Centre should also chip in whenever necessary.
Citing the example of the National Rural Health Mission, she said continued investments in public healthcare was bound to yield some positive outcomes.
Stressing the need for a greater role for the both the Centre and States in expanding the ambit of public healthcare, she said, “Society in India continues to be most fractured and the birth continues to decide how long one lives and what opportunities one gets.’‘
The disease burden of late was shifting to Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) while disorders like diabetes and hypertension which require a long period of care with higher expenses, the former official said.
Dynamic shifts in the healthcare such as increasing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and their implications had to be monitored, Rao added.
