‘Health insurance should be made mandatory by the govt’

He was speaking on the second day of the five-day 68th annual conference of Association of Surgeons of India (ASICON-2008) on Thursday.

He said it was a shame that the country was still grappling with disparity in the healthcare sector.

“There have to be basic minimum standards in hospitals and clinics for a sound healthcare system in the country.

On one hand we have big hospitals of international standards and on the other there are clinics where even minimum standards have gone for a toss.”

Hai stressed the need to introduce basic minimum standards in medical education and hospitals everywhere.

“There was a time when health was a priority with the government but now it has slowly slipped into private hands. Though health facilities have certainly improved after the foray of corporate houses into healthcare, on the whole they are not equal for everyone. The people of the middle-income group can avail of their services but the poor cannot,” said Hai.

“I believe we need to look at a solution to remove this disparity. Mandatory health insurance, as in the Western countries, may be the answer. We can have normal insurance cover for everyone and the poor can be covered under a subsidised scheme,” said the doctor.

He added that the average man understands the need for proper healthcare today. “Now, people are more aware of their health than ever before. Improvement in medical facilities has already increased the average life span from 40 to 60 years in the last half-century.”

Talking about ethics in the medical profession, Dr Ahmad said: “There are some doctors who look for shortcuts to make easy money, but we strongly condemn that. There are some doctors who even take commissions from pharmaceutical companies, which I think is unethical.”