Lok Sabha Question No. 528 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-02-04
Subject: High Out-Of-Pocket Expenditure
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Parvesh Sahib Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 528 TO BE ANSWERED ON 4 TH  FEBRUARY, 2022

## HIGH OUT-OF-POCKET EXPENDITURE

## 528. SHRI PARVESH SAHIB SINGH VERMA:

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is aware of the high Out of Pocket Expenditure (OOPE) on healthcare in the country;
- (b) whether the Government has taken/planning to take measures to bring under regulation the price of drugs and diagnostics in the private healthcare sector, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (c) whether the Government is planning on introducing a statutory regulatory authority on the lines of SEBI and IRDA to monitor healthcare provisions and efficiency in India, if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) the details of measures undertaken towards making India a hub for spiritual and wellness tourism and telemedicine?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (DR. BHARATI PRAVIN PAWAR)

- (a) to  (d)  :  As  per  the  National  Health  Accounts  (NHA)  Estimates,  the  year-wise household's Out-of-Pocket Expenditure (OOPE) on health as percentage of Total Health Expenditure (THE) in the country are as under:

2015-16 - 60.6%

2016-17 - 58.7%

2017-18 - 48.8%

There is declining trend in the OOPE in the country.

Drug  Price  Control  Order  (DPCO)  2013  has  been  promulgated  based  on  National Pharmaceutical Pricing Policy 2012. Accordingly, the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority  fixes  the  ceiling  price  of  scheduled  medicines  as  specified  in  the  first schedule of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013 in accordance with the provisions of the DPCO to ensure their affordability.

All  manufactures  of  scheduled  medicines  (branded  or  generic)  have  to  sell  their products within the ceiling price (plus applicable Goods and Service Tax) fixed by the NPPA as per DPCO, 2013. A manufacturer is at liberty to fix the maximum retail price of  a  non-scheduled  formulation  branded  or  generic  launched  by  it.    However,  the manufacturers  of  non-scheduled  formulations  cannot  increase  the  maximum  retail price of such formulations by more than 10% per annum.

The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) was launched on 15 th  August 2020 as a  pilot  in  six  Union  Territories  -  Andaman  &  Nicobar,  Chandigarh,  Dadra  &  Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Ladakh, Lakshadweep and Puducherry.  After completion of the pilot, the national rollout of the ABDM has been announced on 27.9.21. Three key registries of ABDM namely, Health ID, Healthcare Professionals Registry (HPR), Health Facility  Registry  (HFR)  and  digital  infrastructure  for  data  exchange  have  been developed and implemented in these UTs.

The Information Technology Act 2000 along with Policies and guidelines including but  not  limited  to  Health  Data  Management  Policy,  Sandbox  Guidelines  etc published by ABDM from time to time lay down the regulatory and policy framework for the regulation of ABDM.

Till 25.1.2022, 15,05,92,811 Health IDs (now known as ABHA - Ayushman Bharat Health Accounts) have been created in the country. A total of 15,016 health facilities and 8378 doctors have been registered under ABDM ecosystem.

Telemedicine services have been rolled out in 36 States/UTs. The ABDM ecosystem will further enhance India's ability to provide telemedicine services across the globe.

In  order  to  promote  India  as  a  Wellness  Tourism  Destination,  some  of  the  key initiatives which have been taken by Ministry of Tourism are: -

- i)  Constitution  of  a  National  Medical  and  Wellness  Board  to  provide  dedicated institutional framework to take forward the cause of promotion of Medical Tourism, Wellness Tourism etc.
2. ii)  Wide circulation of Publicity material to promote Medical and Wellness Tourism in target markets.
3. iii) Provision of Financial assistance to Medical/ Wellness Tourism service providers and  Wellness  Centers  accredited  by  NABH  for  participation  in  Medical/  Tourism Fairs and allied Road shows.

iv)    Formulation  of  a  National  Strategy  and  Roadmap  for  Medical  and  Wellness Tourism.