70% Gujaratis prefer private hospitals over government healthcare: Survey

A recent health consumption survey has revealed that nearly 70% of people in Gujarat are opting for treatment at private hospitals, highlighting declining public confidence in government healthcare services.

The findings from the ‘Household Social Consumption – Health India’ report suggests that only around 30% of patients rely on government hospitals, while a majority choose private healthcare facilities even at significantly higher costs.

The report indicates that inadequate infrastructure, shortage of specialist doctors, lack of medical equipment, and poor healthcare accessibility affect public hospitals across rural and urban areas of Gujarat.

In many regions, patients reportedly struggle to access doctors, medicines and timely treatment at government-run facilities.

In rural Gujarat, only 28.2% of patients seek treatment at government hospitals apart from maternity-related cases, 59.5% prefer private hospitals, while 12.3% patients reportedly depend on charitable hospitals for treatment. In urban areas, government hospitals account for nearly 23.5% patients, while 69.5% opt for private healthcare facilities.

The report also highlights growing dependence on private hospitals for childbirth. In rural areas, over half of all deliveries reportedly take place in private hospitals, while government hospitals account for less than half of childbirth cases. In cities, nearly two-thirds of children are born in private hospitals despite the higher cost of treatment.

Healthcare experts have repeatedly pointed towards shortage of doctors in rural regions, lack of advanced facilities such as MRI machines and inadequate staffing at government hospitals as major reasons behind the shift towards private healthcare.