Topic: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health,
Q2. India’s health system is skewed towards curative care at the cost of preventive and promotive health. Analyse the reasons for this imbalance and its consequences. Also outline corrective policy measures. (15 M)
Difficulty Level: Medium
Reference: DTE
Why the question
Rising disease burden, high OOPE and recent debates on health surveys highlight the imbalance between curative and preventive care in India’s health system.Key Demand of the question
The question requires analysing why India’s health system is skewed towards curative care and examining its consequences. It also demands outlining corrective policy measures to strengthen preventive and promotive health.Structure of the Answer:
Introduction
Briefly link health system orientation with Article 21 and Article 47, and mention the dominance of curative care over preventive health.Body
- Reasons for imbalance: Highlight structural and policy factors leading to curative dominance such as low public spending and hospital-centric approach.
- Consequences: Bring out impacts like rising OOPE, inequality in access and delayed disease detection.
- Corrective measures: Suggest strengthening primary healthcare, increasing public investment and regulating private sector.
Conclusion
End with a forward-looking line on shifting towards a preventive, equitable and primary care-driven health system.
