The overall annual household expenditure on health is estimated to be ₹36,009 crore, which means that the average Delhi household spends ₹1,07,793 on medicines and hospital stay every year, said a report released by NGO Praja Foundation.
The report titled The State of Health of Delhi also notes that of the total ₹6,519 crore estimated health budget (2015-16) of the municipal corporations and the Delhi government, only ₹4,910 crore — or 75% — had been spent.
11.5% of income
The report also noted that families belonging to the economically backward section spent 11.5% of their annual family income on hospital/medical costs. Families which are economically well off used 10.7% of their annual income.
It further stated that 85% of families in the Capital do not even have medical insurance.
The report found that only 24% of Delhiites used the services of government dispensaries and hospitals. This comes even as the Delhi government has opened 100 mohalla clinics to bring in more people to the public healthcare system.
“Delhi, like much of the country, is characterised by high levels of privatisation of healthcare and low insurance coverage. As a result, the average Delhiite spends a lot of his/her own money on healthcare,” said Nitai Mehta, managing trustee of the NGO.
Ms. Mehta added that the figures for the report were based on a survey commissioned by the foundation and carried out by Hansa Research.
‘No accurate database’
“Delhi is characterised by high risk to various major diseases and high cost of treatment. This is a worrisome situation,” she said.
“Another problem is that there is no accurate database of the total number of various sensitive diseases. Furthermore, there is no consistency in the data provided by hospitals, indicating that there is a long way to go in terms of strengthening the management information system of the city,” Ms. Mehta added.
