Around 70 per cent spells of ailment in India are treated through private hospitals, according to a new health survey carried out by the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO).

The survey, which was carried out during January-June 2014, showed that government hospitals were used to a greater extent in the rural areas of Assam (84 per cent), followed by Odisha (76 per cent), Rajasthan (44 per cent), and Tamil Nadu (42 per cent). Greater usage of public-sector hospitals in these areas could be due to the absence of the private sector.

Access to private hospitals is a costly affair. According to the survey, the rural population spent roughly four times for treatment in private hospitals (Rs 21,726 per household) compared to public sector ones (Rs 5,636).

The survey noted that as 86 per cent of the rural population and 82 per cent of the urban population were not covered under any scheme of health expenditure support, the persons had to either rely on their own savings or borrow money to fund the expenditure. With lower level of savings, rural households relied to a much greater extent on borrowings (25 per cent) than urban households (18 per cent).

The survey found that 4.4 per cent of the urban population was hospitalised any time during the past one year. This excludes women admitted for delivery. The proportion of persons hospitalised in the rural areas was lower at 3.5 per cent. In both rural and urban areas, there was a higher preference towards modern medicine (around 90 per cent).

In the rural areas, 56 per cent of child birth took place in public hospitals and 24 per cent in private hospitals; for urban areas, the corresponding figures were 42 per cent and 48 per cent, respectively. Interestingly, the highest percentage of abortion was observed in the urban youth (those less than 20 years of age).