A Perfectly Doable Plan

It’s a dream budget for me. I have been waiting for 30 years for this day. The reason is, the government of India has finally accepted that half the population does not have the money to pay for the real cost of healthcare and it has to take care of them. At least, that is the intent. They may not be able to do it in a day or two, but nobody can take the intent away.

It’s important now to identify the deserving people. A very complex issue. After years of experience, I would say, Below Poverty Line cards are not the best way to identify who is deserving and who is not. Karnataka, for instance, has more BPL cards than people.

The other problem is that there are many places, say northern India, where there aren’t that many hospitals. Even if people are covered, they may not get treatment when they need it the most. But now that the process has started, expect smart cards to come up within a couple of years.

On face value, the new plan looks huge and difficult to accomplish, but not in reality. How many families need surgery? Perhaps, 2-3 per cent of 500 million people. That’s not something the government cannot manage, especially with private hospitals as an integral part of the delivery. Today there are millions of people in India who spend Rs 200-250 a month just to speak on the mobile phone. If you ask them to contribute Rs 30-40 a month towards insurance, they would be willing to pay.

It’s disgraceful if after 70 years of Independence, poor people have to come, beg and touch a doctor’s feet. It’s offensive if you have to put a price tag on human life. Now these people can walk with dignity. Everything will change from now on. This country will be one where everyone will have affordable healthcare.