OOPE in Odisha drops to 37.1 pc from 71.5 pc in less than a decade
BHUBANESWAR: Taking gigantic strides in making healthcare accessible and affordable for the people, Odisha has cut down out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) on health by almost half in less than a decade. The OOPE in the state is now among the lowest in the country, as per the National Health Accounts (NHA) estimate released by the central government on Friday.
The NHA estimate revealed that OOPE in the state has dropped 37.1 per cent (pc) in 2021-22 from around 71.5 pc in 2015-16. The drop is attributed to the universal health assurance scheme for more than one crore families and a four-fold increase in the government expenditure on healthcare.
Although the per capita total expenditure on health has gone up from Rs 3,768 to Rs 5,749, per capita OOPE has dropped from Rs 2,693 to Rs 2,133 during the period. The OOPE is the amount households pay at the point they receive healthcare. It is an important indicator of the level of financial protection available towards healthcare in the country.
The health estimate showed that Odisha’s total health expenditure (expense incurred by both government and private sources including external funds) fell to 3.9 pc of the gross domestic state product (GSDP) in 2021-22 from 5 pc in 2015-16.
As far as the total health expenditure is concerned, Odisha spent Rs 26,445 crore in 2021-22 while it was Rs 16,579 crore in 2015-16. The government’s expenditure on health rose more than four times - from Rs 3,354 crore to Rs 14,108 crore, pushing the per capita expenditure up from Rs 762 to Rs 3,067 during the six year period.
In 2021-22, the expenditure on healthcare by the state government was 2.1 pc of the GSDP and the share of OOPE was around 1.5 pc of the GSDP. Infusion of more money by the government on healthcare brought down the OOPE from Rs 11,849 crore to Rs 9,810 crore. Odisha has fared better as compared to Kerala, which has one of the most robust healthcare systems, and Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand, where the OOPE was 59.1 pc, 52 pc, 58.3 pc, 41.3 pc and 47.5 pc.
Health experts, however, pointed out that the per capita OOPE has gone up from Rs 1,750 in 2018-19 to Rs 2,133 in 2021-22, possibly due to escalating costs associated with healthcare services, including the prices of medicines and medical procedures.
The state government had launched Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY) in 2018 to provide comprehensive health coverage to economically disadvantaged families, offering financial protection and access to quality healthcare. The flagship health assurance scheme has now been renamed as Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana (GJAY).
Director of Health Services Dr Bijay Mohapatra said the state government has been focusing on free or affordable universal healthcare for which the spendings on health has gone up significantly. Apart from the GJAY, implementation of PMAY-Ayushman Bharat will bring the OOPE down further, he added.
Healthy trend
OOPE down from 71.5% in 2015-16 to 37.1% in 2021-22
Odisha has fared better than Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal
Universal health assurance coverage a major factor for drop in OOPE
Govt expenditure on healthcare rose by 4 times from Rs 3,354 cr to Rs 14,108 cr