Babus get Rs. 6300 for healthcare, aam aadmi Rs. 1100
What's the story
Data released by the National Health Accounts (NHA) and Planning Commission should send alarm bells ringing in the minds of India's 1.25bn people.
While government spends Rs. 6,300 on its employees for healthcare, the amount spent on citizens is just Rs. 1,108.
In fact, as taxpayers bear policymakers' cost burdens, 39mn people have been pushed BPL for healthcare expenditure alone.
Here're the shocking details.
Govt
Costs incurred on babus, MPs, judiciary members and more
According to the NHA, in 2014-15, the government spent Rs. 2,300cr on Central Government Health Services (CGHS) for serving/retired babus, current/former MPs, members of the judiciary and more.
There were 36.7L beneficiaries, meaning a spending of Rs. 6,300 per beneficiary.
However, this amount doesn't include hospitalization expenditure for serving government employees, implying the actual per capita CGHS spending could be much higher.
Citizens
Expenses on citizens was in stark contrast
Meanwhile, the Centre spent Rs. 20,199cr on the National Health Mission (NHM). For a 1.25bn-strong population, that's a meager Rs. 162 per head.
The NHA says India's total health expenditure was Rs. 3,826 per person (2014-15), but people had to spend Rs. 2,394 from their pockets.
Himachal spent the most generously (Rs. 2,000), but it was still one-third of government employees' expenditure (Rs. 6,300).
Private
Healthcare services to government officials dominated by big corporates
CGHS and Employee State Insurance Scheme (ESIS) are two schemes providing comprehensive healthcare coverage. However, the 2014 ESIS per-capita spending on 5.6cr people (including workers' families) was just Rs. 379 (compared to Rs. 6,300 under CGHS)
A Planning Commission report attributed this to the fact that the former was largely driven by private providers.
The government-run ESIS, meanwhile, relied mostly on its own facilities.
Status
The implications are alarming
If the government was to provide CGHS-like expenditure for all, the NHM would have to increase its budget 40 times. But for ESIS-like services, it would just be a 2.5x increase.
CGHS is funded mostly by taxpayers; employees' contribution is paltry.
As the people are crushed under their own plus government officials' healthcare costs, the latter is enjoying best services at minimum cost.