NEW DELHI: The Central government on Friday refuted the news reports claiming inaccuracies in National Health Accounts (NHA) and reduction in out-of-pocket expenditure by terming it "misleading and incorrect."
According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, "The news report suggesting inaccuracies in National Health Accounts (NHA) especially out-of-pocket expenditure reduction claim is misleading and incorrect. National Health Accounts (NHA) provide detailed information on expenditures incurred within the health sector of the country. These estimates are crucial as they are not only a reflection of the existing health system of the country but also enable the government to monitor the progress made in different health financing indicators." "The recent NHA estimates (2018-19) show a substantial reduction in out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE), reaffirming the government's commitment towards easing the citizens' financial burden. Calling this data, a "mirage" by one expert of health economics working in a private Indian University and quoted in certain sections of media, is devoid of justification and rational basis." It said further
It further said that the main source of information for OOPE was based on NSO data of 2017-18 whereas the previous estimates were based on 2014.
"Both the surveys of the 71st and 75th rounds use the same sampling design for the selection of households so that it ensures comparability of both the rounds," the government said.
Moreover, the 2017-18 data was a one-year survey whereas 2014 was done over a period of six months. (ANI)
Also Watch: