News Excerpt:

Recently released State of Healthcare in Rural India, 2024 report says that there is Lack of health insurance coverage in rural areas and family members still primary caregivers.

Key findings of the report:

• Only half of the rural households have government health insurance while 34% lack any health insurance coverage at all and 61% of those surveyed lack life insurance.
• Additionally, only 12.2% households of the survey have access to subsidised medicines from Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Kendras, while 21% lack a commutable medical store.
• Of the surveyed households, major income sources for them are farming (43%) and daily wage labour (21%).
• The study revealed that there is a lack of diagnostic facilities in the rural areas mostly because of shortage of trained personnel. 
• Only 39% of the respondents confirmed that there was a diagnostic facility within a commutable distance from their village where they could visit only for blood tests or medical imaging. However, 90% of respondents do not get a routine health checkup done on their own wish, unless and until the doctor suggests them to do so. 
• Accessibility to affordable medicine at government medical stores is a challenge for the rural population.
• As per the report, only 12.2% respondents have access (within commutable distance from their villages) to subsidised medicines at Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Kendras. 
• A total of 61% respondents had access (within commutable distance from their village) to a private medical store, whereas only 26% respondents had access to a government medical store located within the premises of a health facility that provides free medicines.
• Around 21% do not have a medical store within commutable distance.
• Also on the marker for sanitation and environmental hygiene, which are important interventions for disease control in a community — one in five reported no drainage system in their villages and only 23% had a covered drainage network system in their villages, 43% of households did not have any scientific system of waste disposal and they ended up with dumping their waste everywhere. 
• Only 11% burn the dry waste and convert their wet waste into compost, while 28% reported that the local panchayat has made plans to collect household waste.
• Meanwhile, the report further notes that 73% of the households with elderly members need constant care and the majority (95.7%) prefer family caregivers, predominantly female (72.1%), highlighting the need for caregiver training on home-based care. 
• Engaging an external caregiver as a paid service does not seem to have a great deal of traction in rural India, with only 3% of such households ever having opted for the same.
• Only 10% of the households rely on neighbourhood support in the absence of family caregivers. Key caregivers for pregnant women include husbands (62.7%), mothers-in-law (50%), and mothers (36.4%). “In both cases, there is a need for strong social networks and supportive environments, and a need for capacity building for family members,” said the report, recommending focus on a people-centred system that integrates systems and schemes locally to address well being and healthy lifestyle.

About the report:

• The State of Healthcare in Rural India Report – 2024, unveiled at the India Rural Colloquy, provides a comprehensive analysis of the challenges and innovations in rural healthcare. 
• The survey was jointly undertaken by the non-government organization Transform Rural India and Development Intelligence Unit, which works in the healthcare sector.
• The survey encompassed 5,389 rural households with an average size of 5.7 members and spanned 21 States including — Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Mizoram, Punjab, Tamil Nādu, and Uttar Pradesh.
• Central to the report is the introduction of the “Neighbourhoods of Care” model, which advocates for a shift from traditional health delivery methods to a more holistic and personalized approach.