In spite of the scheme Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna (RSBY), the children and the mothers did not receive healthcare benefits because the number of earlier schemes would be spent most of the time on the head of the family. Based on a study of Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna (RSBY), a new book aims to share insights that may be useful for other healthcare schemes including the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna (PMJAY).
Written by social sector expert Sonalini Khetrapal, the book “Healthcare for India’s Poor – The Health Insurance Way” sheds light on RSBY’s implementations, success and its drawbacks to suggest improvement in other healthcare schemes, publisher Academic Foundation announced. While speaking at the launch event, Minister of Health and Family Welfare Harsh Vardhan said that the book has “findings that are very important for us to understand”.
“Although the RSBY was hurriedly launched, in the context of the scheme by the present government, there is a big difference in the spirit in which these schemes were launched. I am very confident that India has the capacity to provide healthcare for its people and provide insights for the rest of the world,” the minister said. Focusing on universal healthcare as its backdrop, the book throws light on contract design and looks at the incentive structures created by the division of roles, responsibilities and relationships within the contracts. The book also examines the regulatory and political environment, and the institutional capacity to deliver quality services.
“A study published in the British Medical Journal found that in 2011-12, 5.5 crore people were pushed into poverty due to healthcare costs. As India works to implement the potentially game-changing PMJAY program, it is very important for policymakers to understand in what ways RSBY succeeded and where it failed.” the author said.
