Mumbai: According to the Ipsos Global Health Service Monitor 2023, a global 31 country study conducted among 23,274 adults, at least 1 in 2 urban Indians (53 per cent) and 48 per cent global citizens polled, claim to have access to good quality of healthcare. Markets where more number of citizens rated their healthcare facilities high and of good quality were Singapore (71 per cent), Switzerland (68 per cent) and Malaysia (66 per cent). On the other hand, markets where citizens rated their healthcare lowest in quality of healthcare were Poland (14 per cent), Hungary (15 per cent) and Peru (16 per cent).
Overstretched Healthcare System
Interestingly, there was a consensus across markets of their healthcare system being overstretched, with at least 2 in 3 urban Indians (68 per cent) and 6 in 10 global citizens agreeing (62 per cent). Markets claiming to be more pressured were France (82 per cent), Great Britain (81 per cent), Hungary (79 per cent) and Sweden (79 per cent). The markets that claimed to be least burdened were Japan (24 per cent), South Korea (24 per cent) and Poland (27 per cent).
Healthcare – how does it stack up
Interestingly, 71 per cent of Indians polled believe we have Equality of Healthcare (highest globally) while in comparison only 41 per cent of global citizens held this view about their nations. Malaysia (65 per cent), Spain (64 per cent) and Singapore (61 per cent) were the other countries with high ratings on Equality of Healthcare. While Hungary (14 per cent), Poland (23 per cent) and Chile (24 per cent) had low ratings.
On ease of getting a doctor appointment in the local area, India again was placed at the top at 70 per cent (highest globally), followed by South Korea (64 per cent), Malaysia (61 per cent), South Africa (61 per cent) and Singapore (60 per cent), with their citizens claiming it was easy to get the doctor’s appointment. Only 46 per cent of global citizens polled said it was easy to get a doctor’s appointment in their local area. Markets at the bottom of the heap with least ease of obtaining a doctor’s appointment in their area were France (32 per cent), Peru (32 per cent), Germany (33 per cent) and Canada (33 per cent).
For Trust in Healthcare that provides the best treatment, India once again was placed at the top with 75 per cent urban Indians endorsing this view. The other top markets with trust in their healthcare system were Singapore (69 per cent), Spain (69 per cent) and Malaysia (68 per cent). The markets with least Trust in Healthcare were Hungary (15 per cent), Peru (27 per cent) and Poland (32 per cent).
77 per cent urban Indians and 59 per cent global citizens polled believe Vaccinating against serious infectious diseases should be compulsory.
Areas of discontent in Healthcare
Waiting time to get an appointment with the doc was seen to be a perpetual problem across most markets polled with at least 67 per cent of global citizens polled agreeing. Even 70 per cent of urban Indians polled seemed miffed with the waiting time taken to see the doctor. The markets most unhappy with the waiting time taken to see the doctor were Hungary (86 per cent), Poland (81 per cent) and Brazil (81 per cent). Markets with least waiting time were Switzerland (38 per cent), South Korea (43 per cent) and the United States (47 per cent).
Notably, the cost of healthcare was seen to be a sore point across most of the markets polled, with at least 6 in 10 global citizens (61 per cent) and at least three in four urban Indians polled (74 per cent) seemed to be baffled by the enormous cost of healthcare, believing many people cannot afford good healthcare in the country.
Top health concerns
Urban Indians say they are most concerned about cancer (59 per cent), heart disease (39 per cent), diabetes (35 per cent), covid19 (27 per cent), alcohol abuse (26 per cent) and smoking (20 per cent).
Across all markets polled health concern for cancer was the highest in India.
Global citizens were seen to be most concerned about mental health (44 per cent), cancer (40 per cent), stress (30 per cent), obesity (25 per cent), drug abuse (22 per cent), diabetes (18 per cent), alcohol abuse (17 per cent), heart disease (15 per cent), covid19 (15 per cent) etc.
Challenges facing the healthcare system
For urban Indians some of the challenges faced in the healthcare sector included, poor quality treatment (30 per cent), cost of accessing treatment (29 per cent), low standards of cleanliness (27 per cent), not enough staff (26 per cent), poor safety (21 per cent), lack of choice (21 per cent) etc.
Summarising on the findings of the report, Ipsos India country service line leader, healthcare Gauri Pathak said, "India has world class healthcare systems especially in the private sector thereby making it an attractive destination for medical tourism.The government’s efforts in making healthcare accessible to the lower socio-economic stata through Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) may be instrumental in driving perceptions around equality. High trust levels healthcare may reflect the confidence in the superior talent pool India has in the medical profession. Healthcare costs continue to be a sore point for Indians, as they do in many other countries, despite the fact that India offers access to high quality affordable pharmaceutical products."
Methodology
These are the results of a 31-country survey conducted by Ipsos on its Global Advisor online platform and, in India, on its IndiaBus platform, between Friday, July 21 and Friday, August 4, 2023. For this survey, Ipsos interviewed a total of 23,274 adults aged 18 years and older in India, 18-74 in Canada, Republic of Ireland, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Africa, Turkey, and the United States, 20- 74 in Thailand, 21-74 in Indonesia and Singapore, and 16-74 in all other countries. The sample consists of approximately 1,000 individuals each in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, and the U.S., and 500 individuals each in Argentina, Belgium, Chile, Colombia, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Peru, Poland, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, and Turkey. The sample in India consists of approximately 2,200 individuals, of whom approximately 1,800 were interviewed face-to-face and 400 were interviewed online. Samples in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the U.S. can be considered representative of their general adult populations under the age of 75. Samples in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Indonesia, Ireland, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, and Turkey are more urban, more educated, and/or more affluent than the general population. The survey results for these countries should be viewed as reflecting the views of the more “connected” segment of their population.
India’s sample represents a large subset of its urban population — social economic classes A, B and C in metros and tier 1-3 town classes across all four zones. The data is weighted so that the composition of each country’s sample best reflects the demographic profile of the adult population according to the most recent census data. “The Global Country Average” reflects the average result for all the countries and markets in which the survey was conducted. It has not been adjusted to the population size of each country or market and is not intended to suggest a total result. When percentages do not sum up to 100 or the ‘difference’ appears to be +/-1 percentage point more/less than the actual result, this may be due to rounding, multiple responses, or the exclusion of “don't know” or not stated responses. The precision of Ipsos online polls is calculated using a credibility interval with a poll where N=1,000 being accurate to +/- 3.5 percentage points and of where N=500 being accurate to +/- 5.0 percentage points. For more information on Ipsos' use of credibility intervals, please visit the Ipsos website. The publication of these findings abides by local rules and regulations.
