Abstract
This research paper examines the effects of globalization on India’s healthcare system. It explores various areas such as healthcare delivery, acquisition, financing, and ethics. Globalization has significantly revolutionized healthcare systems worldwide. Evolution of healthcare systems has eased service delivery. Notably, globalization has brought about many improvements in India’s healthcare system. It has also enhanced the quality of healthcare through implementation of cost effective medical services.
This research paper also reveals that the government funds public hospitals and clinics. Government funding lowers medical costs. However, cost of medication is comparatively high in private hospitals and clinics. Usually, medical bills are settled using cash. However, insurance companies also provide various cashless methods.
Introduction
Globalization has continued to revolutionize health care systems internationally. This situation has significantly influenced delivery of healthcare in various parts of the world, thereby affecting the lives of people. Recently, patients have developed a habit of seeking quality and affordable healthcare in developing countries.
A notable example of this situation is the increasing number of patients who visit India to seek medical services. Factually, India is amongst a few countries in the developing world that have undergone remarkable technical advancements in the healthcare sector. This essay explores the impact of globalization on India’s healthcare systems. It examines therapeutic delivery of medical services in areas such as delivery, acquisition, financing, and ethics of healthcare.
Healthcare Systems in India
Arora and Gumber (2005) reveal that India’s healthcare systems are highly structured and developed. Recently, India experienced radical technological advancements in its healthcare systems. In addition, the government of India has strived to ensure that it healthcare system offers cheaper services than in developed countries such as the United States and European countries.
This situation has significantly amplified the number of patients who visit the country in a bid to seek medical care (Bisht, Murray, & Pitchforth, 2012). Furthermore, globalization has led to increased government involvement in the healthcare sector to enhance further development.
How Healthcare is delivered
Globalization of India’s healthcare system has transformed delivery of medical services and patient handling. The highly structured, affordable, and high-tech medical care in India has attracted many patients across the globe. A large number of qualified medical doctors operate India’s high-tech medical equipment (Reading, 2010).
However, the private healthcare sector offers better-quality healthcare. Although public health facilities offer prices that are considerably lower than the rates of private hospitals and clinics, they offer substandard services that are characterized by limited attention to patients. In addition, public hospitals and clinics are highly congested.
This situation results in time wastage and delayed attendance. In the private health sector, professional medical practitioners and professionals offer medical services. The services that are offered in these hospitals and clinics are noteworthy. In spite of low costs, the quality of the services can be compared to those that are offered in developed countries such as the United States (Schrecker, 2014).
How Healthcare is acquired
India’s healthcare system receives many patients from around the world. As aforementioned, the medical services are readily accessible in both private and public healthcare facilities. According to Schrecker (2014), patients from overseas countries visit India to seek medical services in private hospitals and clinics.
Medical tourism is highly promoted in India. Patients from foreign countries visit the country to seek either general or specialized medical services. To promote medical tourism in India, the government encourages the use of M-visa (payment system) to settle medical bills. This strategy has attracted many medical tourists across the globe (Schrecker, 2014).
Payment of Hospital Bills
The Indian government funds the public healthcare sector. This situation has significantly reduced medical costs in the public health sector. Ultana, Haque, Momen, and Yasmin (2014) reveal that the private sector offers medical services at substantially higher prices than the public sector. Both private and public healthcare organizations accept cash payment.
However, cash payment is mostly used in the private healthcare facilities since the government has subsidized the prices of many medical services in the public sector. Patients who have health cover plans are exempted from cash payment since the insurance companies bear the responsibility to settle their hospital bills. Insured patients present health identity cards that are issued by their company.
Procedures for Patient Treatment
Patients who attend private hospitals and clinics gain access to personalized medical attention. They are free to make decision on the desired medical services. In the public sector, service delivery is different. Schrecker (2014) reveals that patients who attend public health facilities have little influence on any form of personalized treatment.
In most cases, public hospitals are congested and understaffed. Therefore, it is difficult for patients to decide on treatment procedures. This situation clearly explains many foreign patients and medical tourists prefer private hospitals and clinics to the public health facilities (Ultana et al., 2014).
Treatment of Chronically ill Patients
Ultana et al. (2014) reveals that chronically ill patients receive special attention. Ambulances whisk patients who suffer from emergency cases to hospitals. The ambulances are freely offered by the private hospitals and clinics. Friends and/or families also offer private transportation methods to take patients to hospitals. Hospitalization is done for severe cases. In this case, patients pay the facility some money that is later reimbursed. Health ID cards that are issued to patients by insurance companies are also used to settle medical bills (Ultana et al., 2014).
Caring for the Dying Population
Cases of native deaths are handled differently from those of foreigners. When a native patient dies, the case is reported to the local authorities. However, when a foreigner dies, the relevant embassy is informed about the death. The embassies and consulates work together to arrange for death registration with the local authorities. In addition, the embassy also contacts the family of the deceased and assist in funeral preparations. Arrangements for repatriating the remains of the deceased can also be done with assistance from the embassies and consulates (Bisht, Pitchforth, & Murray, 2012).
Conclusion
In the wake of globalization, remarkable changes have taken place in the healthcare systems of many countries. The case of India provides a good example that depicts how globalization affects healthcare systems. Provision of affordable and high-tech medical care has made the country a haven for many people who are in search of medical attention. Medical tourism is highly promoted in India. As a result, the country has the highest number of medical tourists in the world.
Furthermore, medical attention is highly professionalized and improved. Undoubtedly, globalization has significantly led to evolution of healthcare systems in India. This situation has promoted provision of affordable and quality healthcare services that have improved the lives of both native and international citizens.
Reference List
Arora, G., & Gumber, A. (2005). Globalization and Healthcare Financing in India: Some Emerging Issues. Public Finance & Management, 5(4), 567-96.
Bisht, R., Pitchforth, E., & Murray, S. (2012). Understanding India, globalization, and health care systems: a mapping of research in the social sciences. Globalization and Health, 8(32), 1-15.
Reading, J. (2010). Who’s responsible for this? The globalization of healthcare in developing countries. Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies, 17(2), 367.
Schrecker, T. (2014). Globalization and Health. Bioethics, 3(1), 1363-70.
Ultana, S., Haque, A., Momen, A., & Yasmin, F. (2014). Factors Affecting the Attractiveness of Medical Tourism Destination: An Empirical Study on India- Review Article. Iranian Journal of Public Health, 43(7), 867-76.