Ensure “Health is for All” from this World’s Health Day

The Indian government has taken major steps in providing Universal Health Coverage for everyone and also to make it a better and affordable health care in the healthcare industry.

World’s Health Day is celebrated every year on 7^th April across all over the country to spread the need of being healthy and use some essential health services. As per ‘Tracking Universal Health Coverage: 2017 Global Monitoring Report’ published by The World Bank and the WHO that around half of the world’s population cannot get needful health services and a lot of people each year are being pushed into poverty during the rising hospital expenses. Practically, the people from the lower-middle cast are facing huge challenges while paying off the hospital bill and cannot get enough treatment due to their low income.

In view of this cost increasing scenario, it becomes important for everyone to get a substitute arrangement that can support then like a safeguard against huge expenses. The best way to prevent these difficulties is to get right health coverage as it will give surety for quality health services and pay the medical expenses of entire family. Here are some health coverages discussed below which are essential for every family:

Universal Health Coverage: WHO is focusing on the matter of individual health coverage for everyone so they are providing essential quality health services for everyone and everywhere. They also are focusing on the UHC from this World Health Day on 7^th April for ensuring everybody’s access to the health care without facing financial problem.

Introductory of Government: The government of India also has taken some steps to achieve UHC like-

·         LaQshya: it is a safe delivery mobile application to improve quality of care in labor rooms especially at the birth time and also looks after the maternal and newborn survival. It has been launched in December 2017 for providing better care to the expectant mother in the labor room and operation theatres to prevent unfavorable incidents with newborn and mother.

·         Optional instructions for critical care: The government of India had set some guidelines relating to organize Obstetric High Dependency Units and Intensive Care Units in the year 2016. In December 2017 has released operational guidelines and directed states to establish the critical care units to provide health services to the pregnant women and recently delivered mothers.

·         mHealth: It is a safe delivery application tool with clinical instructed films on key obstetrical ways to facilitate the health workers to carry out skills into real practice.

Main health initiatives in Budget 2018-19:  The government of India has announced more health initiatives in Budget 2018-19 where the government has raised the health and family welfare parts. Here are some schemes or initiatives that are taken by the government:

• ·         National Health Protection Scheme: It will provide health coverage to at least 10 crore poor and unprotected families and there will be nearly 50 crore beneficiaries across the country. As this health scheme will provide Rs. 5 lakh health coverage to each family annually for medical treatment for smaller towns and villages.
• ·         Health and Wellness Centre: The government has planned to build near about 1.5 lakh Health and Wellness centers to bring health care system closer to the homes of every people and also provide complete health care and offer free essential drugs and diagnostic services.

Health coverage from Insurance Companies: Insurance companies are also launching some health schemes to be a part of this movement in India. The providers have arranged their products to provide coverage for every family that will bring them closer to the universal health coverage.

·         No pre-policy medical test up to 45 year: Every insurance company tells the insured person to go through some medical checkups before taking any policy to know the health status but to encourage the youth workforce to get the health insurance, most insurance providers stop this test for the applicants under 45 years.

·         Pre-existing conditions: It is like a check to access the benefits of health insurance and insurance companies have already started to cover pre-existing medical conditions and the beginning of the coverage varies between 1-3 years and it will be given as per the medical disclosure made by the buyer at the time of buying policy.

·         Lifetime renewability: IRDA of India has set rules which say that health insurance providers have to provide insurance up to 65 years of age and all health policies shall offer the lifetime renewability. This lifetime renewal have to be expected by the insurer except on some grounds (like fraud, moral hazard or distortion) and the renewal will not be rejected on arbitrary basis.

Source: http://basic-healthinsurance.com/ensure-health-is-for-all-from-this-worlds-health-day.php

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Published By
Subhra Bera
www.basic-healthinsurance.com

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