Kerala’s out-of-pocket expense in hospitals still among the highest in country
Kerala has the highest out-of-pocket health expenses in India, with significant reliance on private healthcare. The state's morbidity and hospitalization rates are also the highest in the country, particularly among the elderly. Despite increased public health investment, many residents still prefer private facilities for inpatient care, leading to high out-of-pocket expenditures.
- ▪Kerala has the highest morbidity rate in India at 39.7%, significantly above the national average of 13.1%.
- ▪The state also reports the highest hospitalization rate at 92 per 1,000 persons, compared to the national average of 29 per 1,000.
- ▪Approximately 66.5% of hospitalized cases in Kerala are treated in private hospitals, reflecting a growing reliance on the private sector.
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Kerala has emerged an outlier in almost every health indicator in the National Sample Survey’s (NSS) 80th round Socio-Economic Survey, ‘Household Social Consumption: Health,’ showing high morbidity, highest hospitalisation rates in the country, and high reliance on private health care.As per the NSS data, Kerala has the highest morbidity, defined as Proportion of People Responded as Ailing (PPRA), during the last 15-day period of the survey, at 39.7%. This is three times the national average of 13.1%. The PPRA for Kerala has risen sharply since the 75th round — from approximately 24.5% in 2017-18 to the current 39.7%, a jump of about 15 percentage points.
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