Dr Abdul Ghafur, coordinator of the Chennai Declaration and Consultant in Infectious Diseases, Apollo Hospitals, Chennai
The year 2020 made us realise the strengths and weaknesses of our healthcare system. Public healthcare system became the backbone of COVID care in our country.
At the outset of the pandemic, most states relied upon the public hospitals entirely. Many of these hospitals rose to the occasion, despite significant infrastructural and resource limitations.
Only at a later stage, the private network was roped in. No doubt the private set up involvement made the COVID care more comprehensive with a reduction in the mortality.
The pandemic taught us the need to step up the facilities in our public hospitals. Extreme privatisation is not the key to improve the healthcare delivery of our country.
We need to increase public spending on healthcare. Currently, public spending is just 1.26 per cent of the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) out of the total healthcare spending of 3.6 per cent (including the public and out-of-pocket spending). We must increase the public spending on healthcare to at least 5 per cent of the GDP.
Healthy citizens make a healthier country. We cannot realise Aatma Nirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) without healthy citizens!