India: "The traditional general practitioner is a dying breed and deficiency of doctors willing to work in community settings is rampant."

J Family Med Prim Care. 2014 Apr;3(2):91-3. doi: 10.4103/2249-4863.137603.

Helicopter Dropping of 50 Free Allopathic Medicines; Prescribed by Homoeopathic Doctors at Ground: Sorry this is not Universal Health Coverage.

Kumar R.

Author information

• President Academy of Family Physicians of India, Chief Editor, Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, New Delhi, India.

Abstract

The provision of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is being discussed in India. Crippled by the charges of corruption and unethical practice by media and public at large, medical professionals are largely unaware, disinterested, isolated and edged out from this debate. The traditional general practitioner is a dying breed and deficiency of doctors willing to work in community settings is rampant. Is UHC model proposed in present form good for an ordinary Indian citizen? This editorial looks into the underlying politics of health care in India in the past and how this ongoing debate could impact the future of primary care and health care of people in India.