Health a free right

As a medical student in India, I have been keenly watching and studying the forces behind healthcare in my country.

Healthcare, one of the necessary services is a very engaging topic especially when it comes to understating how available and quality free public health services are. This article seeks to shed light on the concept of free public health, the character and quality of health services in India.

What do you understand by free public health?

The idea of free public health refers to the provision of medical services without charging patients directly. It’s about the right to health care as a basic entitlement, not an privilege.

In an ideal world, free public health encompasses a vast array of services from basic healthcare needs to more complicated and specialised treatments. The ultimate goal is to make quality healthcare services available for everyone, regardless of their socio-economic position. This concept becomes particularly significant in a country like India, where many of the population may not be able to afford private healthcare expenses.

As a student of medicine, I view free public health not merely as no price but the availability quality and humaneness in healthcare service provision. It’s about taking the unreached people, treating those who have not been treated and caring for ones that nobody cares.

Is health in your country a free, semi-free service or do you have to pay to acquire it?

The Indian healthcare system ranges from free, semi-free and paid services. The government has many public hospitals and clinics providing free healthcare services, particularly at the primary health care level. Normally, the word ‘free’ carries some restrictions. Though consultations and basic treatments are free sometimes there can be costs involved with medications, high-end treatments or special tests.

Moreover, the quality of free services often leads patients to choose semi-free or private healthcare services where they pay out of pocket but faster in most cases and considered better quality care. Thus, despite a nominal free nature of healthcare provision, reality can be slightly more complicated wherein often candidates have to incur costs – either directly or indirectly.

Do public hospitals in your country have the medical services and supplies necessary to care for patients?

Public hospitals in India are usually the first source of care for most seeking health. Many public hospitals are also equipped with a good level of infrastructure and basic medical services to meet patient needs.

There are still challenges such as overcrowding, shortage of specialised medical personnel and sometimes a lack of more advanced supplies or technologies.

As a medical student, I’ve observed how healthcare workers work in these environments and do their best to give the patient quality care with what they have access to.

The government makes constant efforts to better the capacities of public hospitals. However, there’s a huge scope for enhancements regarding modern machines and research institutes along with more healthcare practitioners to provide complete care for each patient.

I invite

@afrinn
@selina1
@aprendeconkevin

@edgargonzalez