Wastage in healthcare needs to be tackled as part of India’s universal healthcare plan

BMJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
pp. j2145
Author(s):  
Rajeev Gupta
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina P. Tadiri ◽  
Teresa Gisinger ◽  
Alexandra Kautzky-Willer ◽  
Karolina Kublickiene ◽  
Maria Trinidad Herrero ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Patient attitudes about health and healthcare have emerged as important outcomes to assess in clinical studies. Gender is increasingly recognized as an intersectional social construct that may influence health. Our objective was to determine potential sex differences in self-reported overall health and access to healthcare and whether those differences are influenced by individual social factors in two relatively similar countries. Methods Two public health surveys from countries with high gender equality (measured by UN GII) and universal healthcare systems, Canada (CCHS2014, n = 57,041) and Austria (AT-HIS2014, n = 15,212), were analysed. Perceived health was assessed on a scale of 1 (very bad) to 4 (very good) and perceived unmet healthcare needs was reported as a dichotomous variable (yes/no). Interactions between sex and social determinants (i.e. employment, education level, immigration and marital status) on outcomes were analysed. Results Individuals in both countries reported high perceived health (Scoring > 2, 85.0% in Canada, 79.9% in Austria) and a low percentage reported unmet healthcare needs (4.6% in Canada, 10.7% in Austria). In both countries, sex and several social factors were associated with high perceived health, and a sex-by-marital status interaction was observed, with a greater negative impact of divorce for men. Female sex was positively associated with unmet care needs in both countries, and sex-by-social factors interactions were only detected in Canada. Conclusions The intersection of sex and social factors in influencing patient-relevant outcomes varies even among countries with similar healthcare and high gender equality.


Author(s):  
Samuel Wolbert

Nothing can rouse fury in even the most apathetic voter or stir the vitriol of American political discourse like the healthcare debate. From the run-up to the 2008 Presidential Election—when then-Senator Barack Obama made the creation of a revamped healthcare system the crux of his platform—through the present, the President’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“PPACA”) has been under siege. Obstreperous members of Congress on both sides of the debate levied traditional lines of criticism, concerning themselves with the law’s perceived socialist leaning 1 or the associated financial burden.2 Still other critics believe the healthcare plan will grant undocumented immigrants unmerited access to the benefits of a public healthcare system. Collectively, the narrative surrounding the healthcare debate has been so overly contentious and hostile as to obviate any remaining comity within the political discourse surrounding the problem. 3 But, behind all this white noise and livid rhetoric there still remains the central issue: without an adequate proposal that addresses the undocumented immigrant ‘problem,’ President Obama’s healthcare plan is incomplete.


2021 ◽  
pp. bmjmilitary-2020-001739
Author(s):  
Andrew Bacon ◽  
E Martin ◽  
R Swarbrick ◽  
A Treadgold

Armed Forces veterans (AFVs) are first and foremost citizens of the UK and are therefore—like all UK residents—entitled to universal healthcare, free at the point of need. This means that AFVs have nearly all their healthcare needs met by the NHS, which provides access to a full range of generic services. However, since 2013 there has been an Armed Forces team that can also support veterans. This review is an assessment of the work of this group over the last eight years. The health needs of AFVs have been investigated and are not significantly different from those of their demographically matched peers. However, due to their demographics, selection at recruitment and their roles, AFVs compared with the general population are more likely to be male, white and old and have fewer pre-existing or hereditary conditions. However, they do suffer from higher rates of musculoskeletal injury, different patterns of mental health illness and have historically been higher users—and abusers—of alcohol and tobacco. In addition to supporting mainstream services used by AFVs, the NHS in England commissions a bespoke range-specific ‘Priority’ NHS services such as those for mental health or for rehabilitation of veterans using prostheses. New interventions are continuing to be developed to improve AFVs’ healthcare and are aligned to the NHS Long Term Plan and the restoration and recovery plans after the COVID-19 pandemic.


Author(s):  
N. BOUCKAERT ◽  
C. MAERTENS DE NOORDHOUT ◽  
C. VAN DE VOORDE

How equitable and universal is the Belgian health insurance? Accessibility to and delivery of effective, high-quality and affordable healthcare are fundamental objectives that have shaped health policy and the universal healthcare coverage in Belgium. To what extent are access to and financing of healthcare in Belgium equitable? In general, the use of hospital care is in proportion to healthcare needs, and access can be considered equitable. However, inequity in the use of outpatient specialist care is important and increasing over time. When accounting for healthcare needs, we find that care use among high-income groups and individuals with a high educational attainment is substantially higher compared to financially vulnerable groups (individuals at risk of poverty, people with severe material deprivation, unemployed, singles). Also individuals who are entitled to an increased reimbursement, show a lower use of specialist care than expected based on their care needs. On the other hand, increased reimbursement is effective in improving the accessibility to GP care, while for other financially vulnerable individuals we find a lower use of GP care. The ability of a health system to realize an equitable access to care depends, among other things, on the user charges and the advance payments borne by the patient. In 2018, almost 4% of the households experienced catastrophic out‑of‑pocket payments, strongly concentrated among low-income households. Protection measures, such as the increased reimbursement, the mandatory third‑party payer arrangement and the system of maximum billing, reduce inequities, but there is room to improve and strengthen the financial protection against co-payments and supplements.


2013 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 803-811 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fareed Iqbal ◽  
Shafquat Zaman ◽  
Sharad Karandikar ◽  
Charles Hendrickse ◽  
Douglas M. Bowley

Author(s):  
Gitte Normann ◽  
Kirsten Arntz Boisen ◽  
Peter Uldall ◽  
Anne Brødsgaard

AbstractObjectivesYoung adults with cerebral palsy (CP) face potential challenges. The transition to young adulthood is characterized by significant changes in roles and responsibilities. Furthermore, young adults with chronic conditions face a transfer from pediatric care to adult healthcare. This study explores how living with CP affects young adults in general, and specifically which psychosocial, medical and healthcare needs are particularly important during this phase of life.MethodsA qualitative study with data from individual, semi-structured, in-depth interviews with six young adults with CP (ages 21–31 years) were transcribed verbatim and analyzed. The participants were selected to provide a maximum variation in age, gender, Gross Motor Function Classification System score and educational background. A descriptive thematic analysis was used to explore patterns and identify themes.ResultsThree themes were identified: “Being a Young Adult”, “Development in Physical Disability and New Challenges in Adulthood” and “Navigating the Healthcare System”. The three themes emerged from 15 sub-themes. Our findings emphasized that young adults with CP faced psychosocial challenges in social relationships, participation in education and work settings and striving towards independence. The transition to young adulthood led to a series of new challenges that the young adults were not prepared for. Medical challenges included managing CP-related physical and cognitive symptoms and navigating adult health care services, where new physicians with insufficient knowledge regarding CP were encountered.ConclusionThe young adults with CP were not prepared for the challenges and changes they faced during their transition into adulthood. They felt that they had been abandoned by the healthcare system and lacked a medical home. Better transitional care is urgently needed to prepare them for the challenges in young adulthood.


2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-19
Author(s):  
Shivam Gupta ◽  
Priyanka Das ◽  
Siddhartha Kumar ◽  
Arindam Das ◽  
P. R. Sodani

Objective: To map the range of access barrier indicators for which data can be derived from the three most common health related household surveys in India. Methods: A mapping review study was conducted to identify access dimensions and indicators of access barriers for maternal and child health (MCH) services included in three household surveys in India: National Family Health Survey (NFHS), District Level Household and Facility Survey (DLHS) and Annual Health Survey (AHS). Results: The Tanahashi framework for effective coverage of health services was used in this study, and 12 types of access barriers were identified, from which 23 indicators could be generated. These indicators measure self-reported access barriers for unmet healthcare needs through delayed care, as well as forgone care, and unsatisfactory experiences during health service provision. Multiple barriers could be identified, although there was marked heterogeneity in variables included and how barriers were measured. Conclusions: This study identified tracer indicators that could be used in India to monitor the population that experiences healthcare needs but fails to seek and obtain appropriate healthcare, and determine what the main barriers are. The surveys identified are well validated and allow the disaggregation of these indicators by equity stratifiers. Given the variability of the frequency and methodologies used in these surveys, comparability could be limited.


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