Healthy reduction

Out-of-pocket health spends must fall faster

One of the relatively healthy developments in Indian healthcare in recent years has been the steady fall in the average out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE), or the amount patients spend themselves directly at the point of treatment, as a percentage of total healthcare expenditure. The latest data from the National Health Accounts for 2019-20 suggests that India has continued on this trajectory. From a high of 62.6 per cent in 2014-15, OOPE fell to 47 per cent in 2019-20. In the same period, government health expenditure rose from 29 to 41 per cent of total healthcare expenditure. Private health insurance also appears