FM JANUARY 2019 - digital edition

column
the catalyst
2018 – A year of hope
and apprehension
The foregone year generated a great deal of aspirations,
while also creating a considerable degree of anxiety
MURALIDHARAN NAIR
The year 2018 was an extraordinary year
for the Indian healthcare industry for
the attention it received from both the
highest levels of the government as well as
the regular public, and for the aspirations,
apprehensions, anxiety and even the agony
it created among different stakeholders.
Undoubtedly, healthcare has never been in
so much limelight in the past, and no one
remained untouched by the heat and the
hope it generated. The most defining feature
of last year’s developments, for me, was
the irreverence with which the agenda of
affordable healthcare was being pushed by
governments (at the centre and the states).
Naturally, this meant striking a blow to the
status quo and the prevailing order. This
naturally resulted a diversity of perspectives
among different stakeholders, depending on
their assessment of themselves as victims or
beneficiaries from the intended change. To
sum up my thoughts within the limits of this
column space, I have picked what I believe are
a few good and some not-so-good aspects of
what happened during the year 2018.
The Good
1. Scope and Political will behind Ayushman
Bharat: I have always believed that providing
government-sponsored health for BPL
population is necessary, though far from
sufficient, in the Indian context, where there
is a large segment of the population above
the poverty line for whom the prevailing
healthcare services are prohibitively expensive.
Hence, the intent of AB to progressively cover
up to 70 percent of the population, starting
with approx. 40 percent, and its focus on rural
areas is most appropriate. So is the coverage
amount of Rs. 5 lakh per family. But what is
truly unprecedented is the political capital
invested behind the scheme by a highly
image-conscious and the most popular leader
that India has seen in several decades. This
has, in no small measure, helped the adoption
of the scheme by states and smoothened
WHAT IS TRULY UNPRECEDENTED
IS THE POLITICAL CAPITAL
INVESTED BEHIND THE SCHEME
BY THE MOST POPULAR LEADER
THAT INDIA HAS SEEN IN
SEVERAL DECADES
its roll out, though we still have a long way
to go. More importantly, this has led to an
unprecedented focus among private players
on non-urban expansion and on evolving
appropriate affordable healthcare models
with much greater urgency and seriousness
than before
2. Changing mindset towards “Health”care
from “Sick”care: I am most happy to see a
real and tangible increase in people pursuing
good health, more than ever in the past.
Importantly, this is seen across all age groups.
A simple survey among your friends and
neighbours will reveal the increasing number
of people adopting yoga, exercise regimens,
smart fitness trackers and a generally
more proactive approach towards health
management. This is a very welcome and
significant change. Of course, this attitude
14 / FUTURE MEDICINE / JANUARY 2019