Opers health care changes 2022

. The number of doctors at primary health centres (PHCs) in rural India has improved remarkably over the last five years, but the acute crisis of specialists in community health centres (CHCs) persists across the country, show government data. There were 26,464 doctors in rural PHCs in 2015-16. This number grew to 31,716 in 2020-21, marking a rise of 20 percent. However, during the same period, the number of specialists at CHCs in rural areas grew from 4,192 to 4,405, an improvement of just about 5 percent. The latest numbers come from the Rural Health Statistics 2020-21, which was released last week. The report highlighted that as of March 2021, there were just 4,405 specialists at rural CHCs against the requirement of 21,924. In other words, there is a shortfall of 17,519 specialists or a whopping 80 percent. Close These numbers suggest that owing to the gradual rise of medical colleges in the country there may be more MBBS doctors now available to serve … [Read more...] about Specialist doctor crisis persists in rural India; no change in last five years despite rising seats in medical colleges

Representative image Health may be wealth but the fear of ill health has proved to be strong medicine for the medical insurance industry. The total health insurance premium collected in India grew by a whopping 25 percent in just a year, possibly due to the huge rush by people to protect themselves and their families from catastrophic out-of-pocket medical expenses arising from the COVID-19 pandemic and increase in the premium cost. A paper titled Health Insurance in 2042: Challenges and Opportunities prepared by the National Insurance Academy under the Union finance ministry has revealed that while Rs 58,572 crore was collected in 2020-21 as health insurance premium by insurance companies, this figured jumped to Rs 73,330 crore in the next financial year. The first quarter of fiscal 2021 was marked by the devastating second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic which saw the maximum number of hospitalisations and deaths across the country. The paper released at a PHD … [Read more...] about Health insurance premium collected in India grew 25% during peak COVID year

A researcher examines solutions being tested for use in drugs to treat thrombosis at a Bayer Pharmaceuticals research centre in Wuppertal, Germany. Photo: Peter Ginter Health crises and emergencies such as Covid-19 have brought into sharp focus the critical need for preparedness. The unprecedented pandemic has led to a dynamically changing environment across the healthcare industry, posing challenges that call for innovative solutions. Prior to the pandemic, major progress was being made in improving the health of millions of people. The world has made remarkable strides in increasing life expectancy and reducing some of the common killers associated with child and maternal deaths, according to the United Nations. At the same time, more efforts were being put into fully eradicating a wide range of diseases while addressing many persistent as well as emerging health issues. Ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being at all ages is now considered essential to sustainable … [Read more...] about Post-pandemic healthcare