From the data collected from 66,000 households by the National Sample Survey on their utilization of, and expenditure on education and health show that people are spending far beyond their means on these requirements and growing dominance of the private sector in health and education.

Allopathy dominates in both rural and urban areas and across all income groups. This despite the fact that treatment in a private hospital costs four times as much as it does in a public hospital on an average, with the treatment of cancer and cardiovascular disease proving to be most expensive. It can cost a person in the poorest 20 per cent of the country over 15 times their usual monthly expenditure.

Even among the richest 20 per cent, hospitalization tends to cost over five times of the person’s monthly expenditure.

Yet 85 per cent of the people have no health expenditure support, either from a government scheme or through an employer or private insurance. As a result, over two of three householda dip into their savings to pay for hospitalization.

                                                                                              (Source: The Hindu.)