Review Prospects and Problems of Private Medical Practitioners in India

Abstract

Health care is one of India's largest sectors, in terms of revenue and employment, and the sector is expanding rapidly. During the 1990s, Indian healthcare grew at a compound annual rate of 16%. The private sector plays an important role in India’s health care delivery system. Through a wide network of healthcare facility, this sector caters to the needs of both urban and rural populations and has expanded widely to meet increasing demands. The share of private sector investment in total health infrastructure, e.g. hospitals, investment in medical equipment and technology, is also quite significant. The growth of this sector has also been triggered by factors such as a new economic policy regime in India, the rapid influx of medical technology, and a rising middle-income class. Infrastructural bottlenecks in public system have made the State and Central Governments to invite private players to deliver quality healthcare. There is a big opportunity’ for private healthcare to fill up this gap. As such there is a huge growth potential for the private players in this growing market. It is found that private sector is dominating in the Indian healthcare system which includes changing consumer perception, increasing awareness about quality of medical care, greater penetration of insurance, increased purchasing power, changing demographic structure, etc. Recent innovations include focus on ambulatory and retail healthcare designed to focus on non-communicable diseases. Inherent factors like improved efficiency, better quality, greater reliability and transparency have also aided in the growth of the private sector in healthcare. However, exploring the opportunities and a trade-off between 'social welfare’ and 'business orientation’ is critical to private sector Further, quality needs to standardize in a highly fragmented healthcare delivery system of India.