SHAKEELA ANDRABI
SRINAGAR: Over the years many private players have tried to provide a breather to people in the form of private healthcare and Paras Hospital in Durganaag area of Srinagar is one such unique facility that aims to transform healthcare need of common people. There is no doubt that healthcare in Kashmir Valley is now getting much better as new and world class equipped medical institutes are coming for transformation of this sector. Universal health coverage means that everyone has access to the complete range of high-quality health-care services they require, when and where they need them, and without financial hardship.
Every country has a different path to achieving UHC and deciding what to cover based on the needs of their people and the resources at hand. However, the importance of access to health services and information as a basic human right is universal. In J&K, although the healthcare facilities in Government sector have been performing better but there is still a scope of improvement. The lacunas still force people to move to the hospitals located outside J&K, which is unaffordable for many. Every year hundreds of patients from Kashmir valley move to different hospitals in India due to lack of facilities in both government as well as private sector. This not only drains patients and people economically but also physically and mentally. Then there comes the role the role of private healthcare facilities which are still limited in Jammu and Kashmir. The opening of such a facility in private sector should be welcomed as we have dearth of private healthcare and most of the patient load is on govt. hospitals which remain overburdened. Of course with more the facilities there are more chances of improvement. This means that now patients have every facility at the their door steps and they no longer have to travel to outside J&K to them themselves treated for different diseases. Notably, many patients especially in case of heart attack and trauma who require immediate treatment in the golden hour often die due to lack of immediate treatment and such private hospitals are need of the hour in the valley.
On the other side, the opening of private hospitals will not only add to the healthcare facilities but will also provide job creation for healthcare professionals and ancillary services.
However, alongside the opening of new hospitals it also becomes the responsibility of hospitals to get best of clinical brilliants under one roof. The hospitals should maintain same set of services as given by other hospitals in metro cities like Delhi and Mumbai.
People have several limitations that should be considered. There should be insurance/packages or link with existing ones that would make quality healthcare accessible. All people must have access to high-quality services for their health, their families and communities. To do so, skilled health workers providing quality, people-centered care; and policy-makers committed to investing in universal health coverage are essential.