A new health policy framed by the Narendra Modi government has proposed imposition of health cess and a seven point action plan.
It has, however, decided to remain silent on costly education in private medical colleges and absolved private hospitals from their legal obligation of treating the poor.
“Given that the private sector operates within the logic of the market and that they contribute to the economy through their contribution to the growth rate and by the national earnings from medical tourism, there need not be any major effort to persuade them to care for the poor,” says the draft of the policy released on the last day of 2014. The 58-page document, recognises that there is an obligation on the part of the private sector to treat the poor, because of their access to considerable tax exemptions and public acquisition of land.
On expensive medical education in private colleges, the policy prescribes precise little besides merely saying they charge very high for clinical care and professional education.
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