Work in progress: On the Household social consumption (health) survey

India must strengthen public sector hospital capacity (क्षमता, सामर्थ्य)

The 80th, and latest, round of the household (परिवार, गृहस्थी) social consumption (health) survey conducted by the National Statistical Office (राष्ट्रीय सांख्यिकी कार्यालय) is the first comprehensive (व्यापक, सर्वसमावेशी) survey of its kind in both the post-pandemic (महामारी के बाद का) era (युग, काल) and the period in which (जिसमें, जिसके दौरान) the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) scheme (प्रधानमंत्री जन आरोग्य योजना) attained (प्राप्त करना, हासिल करना) maturity. The previous two surveys of the same kind revealed (उजागर करना, प्रकट करना) that most Indians did not have any form of health insurance (स्वास्थ्य बीमा). Since PMJAY’s launch in 2018, the 80th round shows that insurance coverage has expanded (विस्तार करना, बढ़ाना) around (लगभग, करीब) threefold (तीन गुना), accounting for an increasing share of health-care financing in hospitals. However, the hospitalisation (the state of being placed in a hospital for medical care, observation, or treatment; hospital admission, inpatient care) rate has not recovered to the 2014 level, meaning that having an insurance card still does not guarantee (assure, ensure, promise) access to a bed, and hidden costs continue to limit access. The reimbursement (compensation, repayment, refund, remuneration) rates under PMJAY and State-funded insurance schemes are often below market rates, so private hospitals compensate (make amends, offset, balance, reimburse) by billing patients separately for diagnostics (the medical processes, tests, or procedures used to identify a disease or condition; medical tests, clinical screening, laboratory tests) and ancillary (supplementary, auxiliary, supportive, secondary) services. In other words (put differently, to clarify, that is to say), while state-funded health insurance is subsidising (fund, finance, underwrite, sponsor) private health-care providers’ access to low-income markets (the demographic segment consisting of individuals and households earning lower wages, often targeted by subsidized schemes; economically weaker section, poor demographic) without also enforcing regulated (controlled or supervised by means of rules and government interventions; controlled, monitored, governed, standardized) prices, the combined system provides a safety net (a safeguard designed to protect people against possible hardship, adversity, or financial ruin; social security, protection, safeguard, financial cushion) where insurance covers hospitalisation and the public network has improved financial protection for households seeking (to attempt to find, obtain, or access something, such as medical care; pursue, look for, ask for, request) primary care (the initial level of healthcare provided by a medical professional, focusing on general wellbeing, basic treatment, and disease prevention; basic healthcare). Second, the Proportion of Population Reported Ailing has doubled (to become twice as much or as many; multiply by two, increase twofold, soar), while infectious diseases (disorders caused by pathogenic organisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites that can be transmitted to others; communicable diseases, contagious illnesses) have declined and non-communicable diseases (chronic medical conditions that are not transmissible directly from one person to another, such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer; lifestyle diseases, chronic illnesses, NCDs) have increased. Economists have interpreted (to understand or explain the meaning of information, statistics, or actions; analyze, construe, deduce, explain) this as a sign of more people seeking care, thus (as a result or consequence of this; therefore, consequently, hence, accordingly) becoming ‘visible’ to the health-care sector.

Previous surveys singled out out-of-pocket expenses (OOPE) (direct payments made by individuals to healthcare providers at the time of service use that are not covered by insurance or state support; personal medical spending) on health care as a leading (most important, significant, or prominent; primary, foremost, principal, chief) cause of poverty. In the 80th round, while the mean OOPE has roughly doubled, the median OOPE has dropped, to ₹11,285 per hospitalisation and at nearly (very close to; almost, approximately, practically, virtually) nothing for public outpatient (relating to a patient who receives medical treatment without being admitted to a hospital overnight; clinic-based, non-admitted, day-care) care. Health-care expenses in India are a mix (a combination of different elements or things; combination, blend, variety, assortment) of many low-cost consultations and a few significant and expensive interactions, such as surgeries and chronic (persisting for a long time or constantly recurring, especially regarding an illness; long-lasting, persistent, lingering, continual) care. The two trends thus mean that while health care is becoming more affordable, thanks to (due to or as a result of; owing to, because of, as a consequence of) the public sector absorbing (to take in or bear the burden of a cost, shock, or financial expense; bear, cover, take on, shoulder) the cost of primary and secondary care (medical care that is provided by a specialist or facility upon referral by a primary care physician (doctor), usually involving brief hospitalization; specialized care, hospital-based treatment), health care’s ability to inflict (to cause something unpleasant, painful, or damaging to be suffered by someone; impose, cause, administer, force upon) financial deprivation (the state of lacking adequate monetary resources or suffering severe economic hardship; poverty, economic hardship, destitution, financial distress) in a few cases remains high. Part of the problem is the AAM network (Ayushman Arogya Mandir network, the newly renamed Health and Wellness Centres under Ayushman Bharat, designed to deliver comprehensive primary healthcare services across India; primary health centre network), which provides free medicines and diagnostics, of Ayushman Bharat still being significantly underfunded (to provide an organization or scheme with insufficient financial resources to operate effectively; under-finance, deprive of funds, undercapitalize, shortchange) relative to the needs of managing chronic diseases, and where the private sector dominates. Thus, overall, the poor have nominal (existing in name only or very small in amount; minimal, token, supposed, theoretical) coverage but are often excluded from the benefits of coverage in practice (in reality, practically, actually, functionally) while the more insured middle class faces (encounter, experience, confront, endure) rising catastrophic (involving or causing sudden great damage or suffering, specifically referring to financially ruinous healthcare costs; devastating, ruinous, disastrous, crippling) costs. The next phase of health-care reform, after shielding care-seekers (an individual who actively looks for medical treatment or health services; patient, medical consumer, health service user) from poverty and achieving near-universal institutional delivery (childbirth that takes place in a registered medical facility under the supervision of skilled health personnel; hospital birth, medically supervised childbirth), will need to strengthen public sector hospital capacity to compete with the private sector for tertiary care.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.work in progress (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - प्रगति पर कार्य
English Meaning - an ongoing project or task that is not yet fully completed; ongoing effort, unfinished business, uncompleted work.

2.household (noun)

Hindi Meaning - परिवार, गृहस्थी
English Meaning - a house and its occupants regarded as a single social or economic unit; family unit, home, residence.

3.capacity (noun)

Hindi Meaning - क्षमता, सामर्थ्य
English Meaning - the maximum amount that something can contain or produce, particularly referring to medical infrastructure, beds, and personnel; capability, volume, readiness.

4.National Statistical Office (NSO) (proper noun)

Hindi Meaning - राष्ट्रीय सांख्यिकी कार्यालय
English Meaning - the central statistical agency of the Government of India under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), mandated to collect and compile large-scale socio-economic data.

5.comprehensive (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - व्यापक, सर्वसमावेशी
English Meaning - all-inclusive, extensive, thorough, exhaustive.

6.post-pandemic (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - महामारी के बाद का
English Meaning - relating to the period after the outbreak and widespread impact of a global disease, particularly COVID-19; after-pandemic, post-COVID.

7.era (noun)

Hindi Meaning - युग, काल
English Meaning - period, epoch, age.

8.in which (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - जिसमें, जिसके दौरान
English Meaning - during which; wherein, during that time.

9.Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) scheme (proper noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रधानमंत्री जन आरोग्य योजना
English Meaning - the world’s largest government-funded health insurance scheme, a component of Ayushman Bharat, providing a health cover of ₹5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization.

10.attain (verb)

Hindi Meaning - प्राप्त करना, हासिल करना
English Meaning - reach, achieve, accomplish, acquire.

11.reveal (verb)

Hindi Meaning - उजागर करना, प्रकट करना
English Meaning - disclose, show, uncover, expose.

12.health insurance (noun)

Hindi Meaning - स्वास्थ्य बीमा
English Meaning - a type of coverage that pays for medical and surgical expenses incurred by the insured individual; medical insurance, health coverage, healthcare protection.

13.expand (verb)

Hindi Meaning - विस्तार करना, बढ़ाना
English Meaning - increase, grow, broaden, widen.

14.around (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - लगभग, करीब
English Meaning - approximately or roughly; about, roughly, nearly, close to.

15.threefold (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - तीन गुना
English Meaning - by three times as much or as many; triple, three times over.

16.insurance coverage (noun)

English Meaning - the extent of risk or liability that is covered for an individual or entity by an insurance policy; policy coverage.

17.Ayushman Bharat (proper noun)

English Meaning - a flagship national health protection scheme launched by the Government of India to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC), comprising Health and Wellness Centres (now Ayushman Arogya Mandirs) and PM-JAY.

18.Household social consumption (health) survey (proper noun)

English Meaning - a comprehensive national survey conducted by the National Statistical Office (NSO) to estimate morbidity, healthcare access, insurance coverage, and out-of-pocket medical expenditure (OOPE) across India.

19.public sector hospital (noun)

English Meaning - a government-funded healthcare facility providing medical services free of charge or at minimal cost; government hospital.

20.of its kind (phrase)

English Meaning - belonging to a particular category, often emphasizing uniqueness or specific characteristics; in its category, of its nature, of its type, comparable.

21.maturity (noun)

English Meaning - the state, fact, or period of being fully developed, established, or stabilized; full development, completion, stabilization, evolution.

22.account for (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - comprise, make up, constitute, represent.

23.hospitalisation (noun)

English Meaning - the state of being placed in a hospital for medical care, observation, or treatment; hospital admission, inpatient care.

24.guarantee (verb)

English Meaning - assure, ensure, promise.

25.reimbursement (noun)

English Meaning - compensation, repayment, refund, remuneration.

26.compensate (verb)

English Meaning - make amends, offset, balance, reimburse.

27.diagnostics (noun)

English Meaning - the medical processes, tests, or procedures used to identify a disease or condition; medical tests, clinical screening, laboratory tests.

28.ancillary (adjective)

English Meaning - supplementary, auxiliary, supportive, secondary.

29.In other words (phrase)

English Meaning - put differently, to clarify, that is to say.

30.subsidise (verb)

English Meaning - fund, finance, underwrite, sponsor.

31.private health-care provider (noun)

English Meaning - a non-government medical facility or practitioner that offers health services, usually for a profit; private hospital.

32.low-income market (noun)

English Meaning - the demographic segment consisting of individuals and households earning lower wages, often targeted by subsidized schemes; economically weaker section, poor demographic.

33.regulated (adjective)

English Meaning - controlled or supervised by means of rules and government interventions; controlled, monitored, governed, standardized.

34.safety net (noun)

English Meaning - a safeguard designed to protect people against possible hardship, adversity, or financial ruin; social security, protection, safeguard, financial cushion.

35.seek (verb)

English Meaning - to attempt to find, obtain, or access something, such as medical care; pursue, look for, ask for, request.

36.primary care (noun)

English Meaning - the initial level of healthcare provided by a medical professional, focusing on general wellbeing, basic treatment, and disease prevention; basic healthcare.

37.secondary care (noun)

English Meaning - medical care that is provided by a specialist or facility upon referral by a primary care physician (doctor), usually involving brief hospitalization; specialized care, hospital-based treatment.

38.tertiary care (noun)

English Meaning - highly specialized medical care, typically involving advanced and complex procedures, surgeries, and treatments in a specialized hospital setting; advanced medical treatment, specialized hospital care.

39.Proportion of Population Reported Ailing (proper noun)

English Meaning - a statistical indicator used in health surveys measuring the percentage of individuals reporting any illness or morbidity within a specific reference period; morbidity rate.

40.double (verb)

English Meaning - to become twice as much or as many; multiply by two, increase twofold, soar.

41.infectious diseases (noun)

English Meaning - disorders caused by pathogenic organisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites that can be transmitted to others; communicable diseases, contagious illnesses.

42.non-communicable diseases (noun)

English Meaning - chronic medical conditions that are not transmissible directly from one person to another, such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer; lifestyle diseases, chronic illnesses, NCDs.

43.interpret (verb)

English Meaning - to understand or explain the meaning of information, statistics, or actions; analyze, construe, deduce, explain.

44.thus (adverb)

English Meaning - as a result or consequence of this; therefore, consequently, hence, accordingly.

45.single out (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - to choose someone or something from a group for special attention, focus, or blame; highlight, target, identify, isolate.

46.out-of-pocket expenses (OOPE) (noun)

English Meaning - direct payments made by individuals to healthcare providers at the time of service use that are not covered by insurance or state support; personal medical spending.

47.leading (adjective)

English Meaning - most important, significant, or prominent; primary, foremost, principal, chief.

48.cause (noun)

English Meaning - reason, source, origin, root.

49.drop (verb)

English Meaning - decrease, fall, decline, plunge.

50.nearly (adverb)

English Meaning - very close to; almost, approximately, practically, virtually.

51.outpatient (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to a patient who receives medical treatment without being admitted to a hospital overnight; clinic-based, non-admitted, day-care.

52.mix (noun)

English Meaning - a combination of different elements or things; combination, blend, variety, assortment.

53.chronic (adjective)

English Meaning - persisting for a long time or constantly recurring, especially regarding an illness; long-lasting, persistent, lingering, continual.

54.affordable (adjective)

English Meaning - inexpensive or reasonably priced enough for people to buy or access; cost-effective, economical, cheap, reasonably priced.

55.thanks to (phrase)

English Meaning - due to or as a result of; owing to, because of, as a consequence of.

56.absorb (verb)

English Meaning - to take in or bear the burden of a cost, shock, or financial expense; bear, cover, take on, shoulder.

57.inflict (verb)

English Meaning - to cause something unpleasant, painful, or damaging to be suffered by someone; impose, cause, administer, force upon.

58.financial deprivation (noun)

English Meaning - the state of lacking adequate monetary resources or suffering severe economic hardship; poverty, economic hardship, destitution, financial distress.

59.AAM network (proper noun)

English Meaning - Ayushman Arogya Mandir network, the newly renamed Health and Wellness Centres under Ayushman Bharat, designed to deliver comprehensive primary healthcare services across India; primary health centre network.

60.underfund (verb)

English Meaning - to provide an organization or scheme with insufficient financial resources to operate effectively; under-finance, deprive of funds, undercapitalize, shortchange.

61.relative to (phrase)

English Meaning - in comparison with or in proportion to; compared to, in relation to, proportional to, vis-à-vis.

62.nominal (adjective)

English Meaning - existing in name only or very small in amount; minimal, token, supposed, theoretical.

63.in practice (phrase)

English Meaning - in reality, practically, actually, functionally.

64.face (verb)

English Meaning - encounter, experience, confront, endure.

65.rising (adjective)

English Meaning - growing, escalating, ascending, surging.

66.catastrophic (adjective)

English Meaning - involving or causing sudden great damage or suffering, specifically referring to financially ruinous healthcare costs; devastating, ruinous, disastrous, crippling.

67.shield (verb)

English Meaning - protect, safeguard, defend, insulate.

68.care-seeker (noun)

English Meaning - an individual who actively looks for medical treatment or health services; patient, medical consumer, health service user.

69.near-universal (adjective)

English Meaning - almost entirely encompassing all members of a specific population; widespread, highly inclusive, almost total, pervasive.

70.institutional delivery (noun)

English Meaning - childbirth that takes place in a registered medical facility under the supervision of skilled health personnel; hospital birth, medically supervised childbirth.