End of Life Care

Preface: There is a transition in the role of hospitality industry in the healthcare system, from short term care of surgical patients from western countries to the long term preventive care for the disabled. There are important workforce, legal, and financial issues that need to be addressed before we can say India is prepared for the challenge.

Issue: We are witnessing major financial issues in healthcare management in the developed countries. With emphasis on curative care the costs have spiraled upwards in the last three decades and it has been realized that most of the spending occurs in the last 5 years of life. With recognition of the fact that curative care for chronic illnesses is the major cost determining factor, there is a stress on home based preventive health services. India is also growing older, but not necessarily healthier and we have a system where insurance based health care, anti abuse laws, and curative management is at best modest as compared to the developed nations. There are several lessons that can be learned from the home based health care system in the U.S. and other developed countries, which can help India avoid these issues.

Conclusion: Can disability prevention laws, health saving funds and home based health force be the future? We need to learn from the lessons from the developed countries and create a system which is sustainable in the long term.