Unaffordable Healthcare Pushes Nearly 5 Crore Indians Into Poverty

At least a 100 million people in the world are being thrust into poverty due to unaffordable healthcare.

As we turn a leaf on another year, here are some startling statistics. At least a 100 million people around the world, including in India, are being thrust into poverty each year from having to pay for healthcare they cannot afford.

Quoting a new report by the World Bank and World Health Organisation – 'Tracking Universal Health Coverage: 2017 Global Monitoring Report' – the Times of India reported that as the situation stands, 800 million people in the world spend close to 10 percent of their household budget to pay for a sick family member or for themselves.

The report narrows it down to "catastrophic" expenditure on healthcare defined by spendings over 10 percent and 25 percent of "household total income or consumption".

The following are the appaling figures from India:

Quoting figures from other countries in the world, especially BRICS countries, the report highlights how countries that spend more on healthcare have fewer families being pushed towards poverty.

In the United State, there are 0.8 percent households that spend over 25 percent of their household income on healthcare.

In the countries assessed, China seems to register the worst scenario in terms of unaffordable healthcare-induced poverty, with 4.8 percent households spending more than their means. Nearly 808 million people worldwide are in the category of “catastrophic” spending on healthcare at the 10 percent level, Times of India quotes the report as saying.

Owing to such poor provision of healthcare, a family is forced to advocate less of the household budget to essentials like food, shelter and clothing in case there is the need to spend on healthcare on any one member.

The budgeting constraints become so severe that spending on these important items is reduced below the “level indicated by the poverty line.”