As the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) celebrated its three years of existence on Saturday, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicines professor Andrew Haines provided an insight on primary health care system through his presentation during the event.
Haines said, ?In India, there is an over emphasis on hi-tech, expensive treatment at the cost of cost-effective primary health care. The gap between poor and the ones who can afford to spend for hospital care is yet to be bridged.? Statistics show that 58% of an individual?s annual income is spent on expenses related to hospital. To avert this, preventive care and early treatment is advisable, added Haines. It is important to ensure that more money is spent on research for primary health care and for analysing how effectively they are being delivered. ?Only 0.02% of the global finance is spent on research in evaluating the impact of these studies on health system,? he said. Haines said it is essential that private sectors are simultaneously regularised to ensure the quality of health care. While 95% of primary health care is being taken care by the public sector, the private sector has to show more responsibility towards health care system. ?The primary health care will substantially improve through the combined effort of public and private sectors ,? Haines said.
Founded on March 28, 2006, PHFI has been working to reach out to remote areas and provide preventive measures and cost-effective health care to the poor.
Besides research, PHFI is also looking forward to establishing a network of 10 Indian Institutes of Public Health. Training community workers and the active involvement of communities and non-governmental organisations is essential to promote healthy behaviour among the poor, it believes. For the purpose, PHFI has received grants from several bodie?the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has contributed $18 million to support capacity building of NACO under NACP III. Wellcome Trust has given ?5 million to build the institutes and another ?4.5 million to establish a Centre of Excellence in Chronic Disease.