Urban Mirror Correspondent
New Delhi, August 3: The Lok Gathbandhan Party (LGP) today reiterated that the National Health Protection Scheme (NHPS) being touted as “Modicare†doesnot address to basic infrastructural and service problems in the vast rural areas of the country. The party said country’s rural health care system is in fact in extremely bad shape for which the 2018 budget has hardly done anything to improve.
The spokesman of the party said here on Monday that a tussle over the scheme has already erupted between NDA government and Indian Medical Association (IMA) over packages, rates, funds allocation and insurance model. The spokesman said with private players’ role in the scheme the health plan is more a business profitability than reaching out to millions of poor people craving for good health services. The spokesman said right from the launch of the scheme in budget, the party has maintained that it was aimed at helping the insurance companies and not for masses. The spokesman said except sloganeering by the BJP on the issue for 2019 Lok Sabha election, the scheme is directionless.
The spokesman that rich insurance sector might be bullish about the Modicare plan but it will not provide solace to ailing masses in the rural areas where health services have crumbled. The spokesman said primary health centres, community health centres in rural areas which are only service providers to the poor people lacked basic facilities thereby forcing the people to rush to urban areas even for treatment of small ailments. The spokesman said the NHPS could benefit the private hospitals and insurance companies but it cannot be substitute for proper public health care.
The spokesman said there is complete lack of medicines, doctors, paramedical staff and basic medical facilities in rural areas for which there was no adequate provision in the Union Budget. Pointing out that creating hype on NHPS will not eliminate the miseries of poor people in villages, the spokesman said it is also not clear how the government will fund a scheme which is expected to cost at least Rs 50,000 crore to reach out to 10 crore families with Rs five lakh health cover. The spokesman said the NDA government plan for establishment one medical college within an area of three parliamentary constituencies is also lopsided, as each district and their rural areas required improvement in basic facilities and not the wasteful expenditure on the large number of colleges. The spokesman said the NDA government’s health care plan is directionless and misguided.
