Pinning healthcare service on government
Chennai May 05

As The cost of healthcare the worldover is expected to increase manifold in the coming years. Hence, the government should stay as a healthcare service provider, said Dr Robert C Myrtle, healthcare specialist from the United States.

Speaking to News Today on the sidelines of a two-day management development workshop for hospital administrators organised by Apollo Hospitals in Chennai yesterday, Dr Robert said one of the reasons for the increase in healthcare costs was the new, expensive drugs flooding the market.

Also, the reliance on medical equipment for diagnosis of disease, increase in life expectancy and the increasing number of chronic diseases would also push the cost of healthcare to new heights, he said.

For a country like India where still a large segment of the population live below povertyline leaving the management of healthcare to the private hands alone would not be the right step, Dr Robert said.

He further said the ideal healthcare model for India and also for other Asian countries was Singapore where the markets and government contribute to healthcare needs.

'The government should stay put in immunisation programme and child welfare', he said.

However, the government should provide the option for the public to get medical treatment of their choice. But, the private players should be made accountable for their acts, he further said.

The entry of insurance companies into the health care should be encouraged so that it could lessen the burden of the public in meeting their medical expenses, he said.