How heavy is 'out of pocket expenditure' on the family?
When someone in a household falls ill, it is already a problem. In such a situation, paying for the treatment from one's own pocket becomes even more difficult. This expense is heavy on every household, but its impact is very high on poor households.
If the household income is low and the cost of treatment is high, especially when one has to be admitted to the hospital or suffers from a major illness, then this expense becomes very heavy. In such a situation, poor people have to reduce spending on essential things like food, house, clothes, education. Many times they have to take loans from friends-relatives or moneylenders, due to which they get even more in debt.
According to a survey of 2011-12 by the National Sample survey Office (NSSO), 18% of households in india had to bear such medical expenses, which could lead to their ruin.
Is out of pocket expenditure decreasing or increasing?
According to NHA, 'out of pocket expenditure' is gradually decreasing. In 2014-15, it was 62.6% of the total health expenditure, which has come down to 39.4% in 2021-22. The government is spending more money on health. The share of government expenditure in total health expenditure was 29.0% in 2014-15, which has increased to 48.0% in 2021-22. The government has also asked the states to spend at least 8% of their budget on health.
The government has also increased the budget of its Department of health (DoHFW). It was Rs 47,353 crore in 2017-18, which will increase to Rs 95,957.87 crore in 2025-26. The 15th Finance Commission has given Rs 70,051 crore for health through panchayats between 2020-21 and 2025-26.
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