Use medical tourists' money to treat poor Indians: Panel
Move To Make Healthcare Affordable
NEW DELHI: A parliamentary health committee has proposed that hospitals that profit from medical tourism and affluent Indian patients should use those earnings to subsidize care for poorer patients. The Samajwadi Party-led committee recommended a cross-subsidization model, where these hospitals allocate a portion of their revenue to provide advanced tertiary care to economically disadvantaged Indians.
The panel's report on healthcare affordability and accessibility highlighted the country's emergence as a global healthcare hub, driven by high-value procedures, rising medical tourism, and increasing hospital revenues. However, it emphasized that the benefits of this growth must extend to patients who cannot afford expensive treatment.
The committee also suggested reserving a defined number of beds in government-funded health insurance schemes, like Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY, at standard rates to ensure access to top-notch care for poorer patients.
Written by urgent.news from Times of India's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
