Is rising pharma market a new burden? Introspecting the  implications of India’s healthcare journey from public to a private good

Is rising pharma market a new burden? Introspecting the implications of India’s healthcare journey from public to a private good Srujana Boddu, Anagha Tobi International Journal of Health Governance, Vol. ahead-of-print, No. ahead-of-print, pp.- The paper demonstrates prejudicial effects of the rising private participation and the lacuna of state in ensuring the accessibility and affordability of healthcare.Secondary data analysis from national and international databases is employed to demonstrate the low government spending and the alternate healthcare financing mechanisms in the country. The company reports of six Indian pharma companies are examined to map the profits and revenues, and also taking into account the sales growth and return on investment.The paper observes the pharmaceutical sector, via its spiralling drug prices, is the primary contributor to the huge out-of-pocket expenses borne by households. The study findings indicate that there is an increased divergence between the out-of-pocket expenses of households and exorbitant profits of the private drug companies in the country over the years.Amidst debates on the importance of public health in the aftermath of the pandemic, the paper examines the rising hands of private sector in healthcare, and implores – who benefits? The authors study the implications via looking into the rise in the wealth of pharma giants; at the time of crisis when the lives of common citizens in the country were at stake.The paper...
Source: International Journal of Health Governance - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Source Type: research