Privatisation of Health Care in India - Indian Institute of Public ...

Privatisation of Health Care in India2.2. Consequences ofMarketisation: Some Global TrendsWhat have been some of the consequences ofmarketisation in terms of cost, equity and universal access?Available data from both developed and developing countriesshow that marketisation has had serious consequencesfor equity. It has resulted in the poor being denied accessor often getting poor quality care. In many third worldcountries, paying for care has meant indebtedness for thehousehold. In the US, the percentage of the uninsured roseby 30 percent during the eighties and during the ninetiesthe number of uninsured rose by 15.6 percent. In 1998,approximately 44 million persons were uninsured in theUS and these included mostly ethnic minorities, the poor,elderly and women (Carrasquillo et al, 1999). Lack ofinsurance meant that these people could not access preventiveservices and treatment for chronic diseases wasalso beyond their reach. As a result, very often they hadto delay seeking medical care and hospitalisation. If thisis the situation in an affluent country, then it is bound tobe much worse in poorer countries where a larger proportionof the population is poor.Across the world the process of privatisation has somecommon features especially due to the influence of thepharmaceutical and technology industries coupled withthe policies of multilateral organisations. However, theextent and nature of privatisation varies across countries,and is influenced by the specific socio-politicalcontext.4