Karnataka Health Vision Group recommends hike in healthcare investment to 8% of GDP

The Karnataka Health Vision Group, constituted by the state government in January 2021, released their report recommending various health system reforms, on Wednesday.

The report, titled 'Advancing people’s Health in Karnataka: Vision for Progress', recommends a sharp hike in the state’s investment in healthcare from 4.7% of GDP (in 2019), to 8% by 2025. This is in line with the 15th Finance Commission’s recommendations, says the report.

Senior professor of epidemiology, Nimhans, G Gururaj, who headed the Vision Group, said the fundamental goal was to make public health services available, accessible and affordable to all. The report, to which 250 doctors had contributed, says that decentralised, district-level health systems should be strengthened. All citizens should be able to access all healthcare programmes — including specialty services — within a 50-km radius.

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The report also says that Karnataka’s many health programmes and policies will be effective only if streamlined and routinely monitored, and recommends steps for these. The state should commission a pilot study in three districts to identify areas of investment in coming years.

The report adds that Karnataka’s current disease surveillance system is weak, not only for non-communicable and occupational diseases, but also for communicable diseases. An integrated surveillance architecture should be set up to tackle this.

The report states that a ‘life course perspective’ should be adopted, to address healthcare needs in various life stages - that is, for children, youth, middle-aged and elderly. For example, occupational health services should be integrated into primary healthcare for the benefit of the middle-aged.

It identifies less accessible areas like mental and neurological services, and also recommends setting up a state council for inclusion and rehabilitation of people with disabilities. Since many health interventions need multi-sectoral coordination, each district should have a committee headed by the district commissioner to oversee such programmes.

Recommendations

Districts should have data on healthcare institutions, including bed availability and cost; All institutions should undergo accreditation for quality improvement; Transparency in drug procurement; resolve issues of drug quality, storage; Create health IT policy, health IT cells to monitor programmes and provide services and State Health Council for Integrative Medicine and Healthcare to integrate AYUSH into health system.