Public Health Expert Calls for Affordable Healthcare as a Fundamental Right

Fast Summary

• Seminar on Healthcare and Cancer Prevention:

– A seminar was organised by Praja Arogya Vedika in vijayawada on august 24.
– Dr. G.V.S.Murthy, affiliated with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, spoke about privatisation in healthcare and its drawbacks.- He highlighted concerns like reduced non-clinical staffing, risks to patient data confidentiality, and barriers to achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
– Over 6.7% of Indian households spend more than a quarter of their earnings on healthcare, with catastrophic expenses affecting many families.

• Healthcare Challenges:

– Government privatisation proposals for medical colleges where critiqued as possibly benefiting corporations rather than people.
– Insurance under PM-JAY is considered insufficient due to high treatment costs; example given was ₹11 lakh for lung cancer treatment.

• Cancer Prevention insights:

– Dr. D. Raghunatha Rao emphasized lifestyle changes such as avoiding tobacco/alcohol, exercise (30 minutes daily), and diets rich in greens to prevent cancer.
– Routine screenings for oral, breast, and cervical cancers are recommended by Dr. D. leela.

• Attendees:

– Various medical experts including gynaecologic oncologists participated alongside Praja Arogya Vedika leaders.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The seminar highlights critical discussions around the future direction of India’s healthcare system amidst rising costs and government-led privatisation proposals for medical institutions in Andhra Pradesh. Dr. Murthy’s observations underline a global trend showing limited benefits from such measures when applied to public healthcare systems; instead corporations ofen profit disproportionately compared to societal gain.

Moreover, the data shared-such as India’s catastrophic health expenditures-reiterates that affordable universal coverage remains vital but is hindered by inadequate insurance solutions like PM-JAY when dealing with severe illnesses requiring expensive care.

Recommendations encouraging preventive practices against cancer also highlight public health priorities sitting parallel to debates around systemic modifications such as privatisation-the latter risks exacerbating accessibility challenges faced particularly by low-income households already struggling under steep cost burdens.

Read More: Link