New Delhi: Seventy-three per cent of people from northeastern states suffering from non-communicable diseases (NCD) travel to other states for better medical care, according to a new survey report.
As many as 6,478 people from 20 states participated in the survey conducted by non-profit organisation Transform Rural India’s Development Intelligence Unit in collaboration with Sambodhi Research Pvt Ltd. The report was released August 1.
According to the report, 63 per cent of the surveyed people with family members suffering from non-communicable diseases travel to other states for better healthcare services.
“Seventy-three per cent of people in the northeast itself travel for treatments of non-communicable diseases,” it said.
Sixty per cent of people from Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab, 44 per cent from Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, 29 per cent from western India, 28 of southern states, and 27 per cent from east travel to other states for better healthcare, the report said.
Over the past decade, India has gained a reputation in providing high-quality healthcare services at low cost to medical tourists from around. However domestic medical tourism has been “overlooked” it claimed.
Shyamal Santra, the associate director of public health and nutrition at Transform Rural India, said, “Echoing the experiences and expectations shared by the people living in rural India, it is evident that there are no alternatives to improved, modernised and transformed healthcare services at primary level with a specific focus on underdeveloped regions to improve patient satisfaction and reducing the need of long-distance travel for treatment.”
The compulsion to travel in the quest for quality medical care adds emotional and financial stress to the patients and their families, he said.
The survey further revealed that 28 per cent of patients in southern India are inclined towards traditional medicines and treatment methodologies. This could be attributed to AYUSH and naturopathy interventions, it said.
As far as Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) and National teleconsultation services are concerned, Ayushman Bharat Health Account cards have been found to be created among 22 per cent of the surveyed population. Besides 30 per cent of the beneficiaries have availed entitled services so far, the report said.
It stated that 91 per cent of the respondents never availed telemedicine services for their household members. This creates a ground for strengthening the healthcare delivery system through telehealth and mobile medical units, the report said.
Besides, 52 per cent of the households with at least one member suffering from NCD have availed doorstep diagnostic services through private providers, it added.
PTI
