AAP Rajya Sabha MP Dr Sandeep Pathak on Tuesday strongly criticized the central government for the poor state of India’s healthcare system, highlighting gaps in public health infrastructure and flaws in the Ayushman Bharat scheme. Dr Pathak accused the BJP government of neglecting the middle class and prioritizing politics over people’s welfare.
Speaking during a Rajya Sabha discussion on health and welfare, Dr Pathak emphasized that healthcare is a national issue that concerns every citizen, stressing that it cannot be divided between the Centre and states. “If we keep looking at healthcare through this lens, the country will never be able to bear the consequences. Our children and families will continue to suffer. This is a national issue that concerns every citizen,” he said.
Past Failures in Healthcare Dr Pathak recalled several past healthcare failures to illustrate the country’s inadequate medical infrastructure. He mentioned the 2014 vasectomy camp tragedy in Chhattisgarh, where ten women died on the first day of surgery. He also referred to the Gorakhpur BRD Medical College tragedy, where 63 children died due to a disruption in oxygen supply. “The same hospital saw over 5,000 child deaths in 2016 and more than 6,000 in 2014,” Pathak said. He pointed to similar issues in Maharashtra’s Nanded, where 33 deaths occurred in one day due to a severe shortage of medical staff.
Critique of Ayushman Bharat Scheme Dr Pathak strongly criticized the design of the Ayushman Bharat scheme, calling it fundamentally flawed. “The scheme claims to provide health insurance of up to Rs 5 lakh per year to 40% of families living below the poverty line. However, the issue begins with the identification of beneficiaries,” he said. He explained that the government initially listed 10 crore people under the scheme but later found only 2 crore eligible, leaving out 8 crore people. The government eventually abandoned the beneficiary matching process, offering treatment to anyone who came forward.
Pathak also referenced a CAG report that exposed large-scale fraud and irregularities in the scheme, criticizing its implementation. “This scheme is not designed for patients, but for hospitals. Hospitals can selectively offer treatments, and unnecessary surgeries are being performed just to claim insurance,” he explained.
Shortage of Doctors and Medical Infrastructure Dr Pathak emphasized that India’s healthcare system suffers from severe deficiencies, including a shortage of doctors and inadequate infrastructure. “India has only 10 doctors per 10,000 patients, whereas other countries have nearly 30 doctors per 10,000 patients,” he said. He added that the shortage is particularly acute in rural areas, where villagers struggle to afford medical treatment.
Middle-Class Neglect Pathak also criticized the government for neglecting the middle class in its healthcare policies. “You have created the National Health Mission and Ayushman Bharat for low-income groups, but there is no scheme for the middle class,” he said, adding that the middle class, who pay taxes, are left out of these healthcare benefits.
Budget Allocation and Political Priorities Dr Pathak pointed out that the government has allocated only 1.4% of the budget to health, which he described as inadequate for addressing India’s healthcare needs. “Today, India lacks well-equipped government hospitals, enough doctors, sufficient medical college seats, and even basic medicines in hospitals,” he said, attributing the crisis to the government’s insufficient healthcare budget.
He also criticized political parties for not prioritizing healthcare and education in elections. “AAP’s politics and ideology are centered around schools and hospitals. But in Punjab, they are blocking funds meant for the National Health Mission,” he said.
Call for Urgent Reforms Dr Pathak called for urgent healthcare reforms, urging the government to focus on strengthening primary and district hospitals instead of launching scattered schemes. “We have around 800 district hospitals. Can we not transform these 800 hospitals with the support of the Prime Minister, his cabinet, and the entire country?” he asked.
He concluded by urging the government to stop launching scattered health schemes and instead focus on fixing primary and district hospitals. “First, fix our primary and district hospitals, and then design policies around them,” he added.