The average total spending per day of hospitalisation in India was found to be more than double in private hospitals compared with public hospitals, a study by the Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur revealed.
The study showed spending in public hospitals is about Rs 2,833 while the same for private hospitals is at Rs 6,788.
Public healthcare facilities are more cost-effective compared to private healthcare facilities for similar healthcare services, the study showed.
This comparative study for public and private hospitals was carried out in Chhattisgarh state by Dr. Alok Ranjan, Assistant Professor, School of Liberal Arts, IIT Jodhpur, along with Dr. Samir Garg (First author and Executive Director, State Health Resource Centre (SHRC), Chhattisgarh); Narayan Tripathi, Senior Program Coordinator, SHRC; and Kirtti Kumar Bebarta, Program Associate, SHRC.
This study has important implications in deciding the road map of achieving universal health coverage in India.
Alok Ranjan, Assistant Professor, School of Liberal Arts, IIT Jodhpur, said, “Provisioning of inpatient care under public facilities is more cost effective compared to the private sector in India. Therefore, there is an urgent need to invest in public health facilities compared to purchasing it from the private sector.”
