A Factsheet- Universal Access to Medicine
Healthcare expenditure is the second greatest cause of rural indebtedness in India today. As of 2008, 72% of total healthcare expenditure was privately funded, 89.5% of which was paid out of pocket by patients. Between 1999- 2000, 32.5 million patients fell below the poverty line after just a single hospitalization. 40% of those hospitalized are forced to borrow money or sell assets to meet costs, and 23% of ill patients simply never seek treatment because of their inability to pay. WHO estimates that 65% of India’s population lacks regular access to essential medicines.
The cost of medicines is one of the largest factors contributing to this breach of human dignity. Medicines account for 70% of out-of-pocket expenditurev. Even if patients are able to receive a free check-up at a government clinic, they are often forced to pay out-of-pocket for the actual medicines prescribed for their illness. Medicines purchased by patients from the local chemist can be between 2
to 40 times more expensive than the bulk prices offered to retailers, private hospitals, nursing homes and government agencies. This fact sheet seeks to address some major determinants of medicine pricing,and suggests ways that India can provide truly free treatment to all its citizens.
Resource Credit: Oxfam India Partners- Prayas and Jan Swasthya Abhiyan
