Navigating the landscape of health and hospital management in India: an analysis of hard and soft laws
摘要
A nation's overall development depends critically on its people’s health. It becomes essential to maintain an efficient and comprehensive health policy and legislation that guarantee broad application and efficient remedies. Numerous issues hamper India’s healthcare system. To mention a few, increased expenses, lack of skilled employees, ineffective systems for prompt action, etc. Since "public health" is a state subject, the enactment regulating hospitals is basically done by the states. As of now, there are eight states with a public health law or draft in place. Many of these laws have been ineffective. There is no second opinion on the fact that any new law will bring huge expenditures to the state’s exchequer. Nonetheless, there is strong scientific evidence that the law can help improve public health. Access to public health is one of the government's Directive Principles of State Policy under the Indian Constitution. India has one doctor for every 1445 Indians, compared to the WHO's norm of one doctor per 1000 people. The private hospital management system is subsidized and supported, resulting in rising healthcare prices. According to NITI Aayog, medical costs cause roughly 7% of Indians to fall below the poverty line each year. These statistics beg for prudent management of resources in health care. The purpose of this research is to find out or, if required, develop a strategy to bring synergy between the hard and soft laws in the field of healthcare management. The methodology adopted for this research is doctrinal with critical analysis.