Ahmedabad: Hospital stays can be nerve-wracking, but the accompanying bills can be even more daunting, especially for residents of Gujarat. The state has ranked fifth in the country for average hospitalization costs, according to a recent report from the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) titled ‘Household Social Consumption: Health’.
Urban vs. Rural Costs
In urban areas of Gujarat, a single hospitalization costs an average of Rs 51,742, which is higher than the national average of Rs 46,774. The report places Jharkhand at the top with an average cost of Rs 59,455, followed by Uttar Pradesh (Rs 56,537), Maharashtra (Rs 55,697), and Assam (Rs 51,825). In rural Gujarat, the average expense stands at Rs 25,877, bringing the combined urban-rural average to Rs 38,607.
Nationally, patients incur an average of Rs 25,347 in rural areas and Rs 39,572 in urban areas, with the overall average at Rs 32,348. This indicates that approximately 83% of total expenses are borne by patients themselves. Non-medical expenses average around Rs 2,300 in both rural and urban settings.
Insurance Coverage and Out-of-Pocket Expenses
The report surveyed over 30,300 respondents from more than 6,000 households in Gujarat. Dr. Viren Shah, vice president of the Ahmedabad Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association (AHNA), noted that insurance coverage, particularly from private companies, is relatively low in the state. “The primary coverage comes from government schemes such as PM-JAY and Mukhyamantri Amrutam Yojana. Patients hospitalized in private facilities naturally incur higher costs compared to government hospitals. Based on our estimates, out-of-pocket expenses are higher in medium and smaller hospitals, especially for non-planned procedures,” he explained.
Non-Hospitalized Medical Expenditure
For non-hospitalized medical care, including consultations, the average expenditure is Rs 852 in rural Gujarat and Rs 968 in urban areas. Patients end up paying Rs 851 and Rs 940 out of their own pockets, respectively.
Hospitalization Rates
The report also revealed that hospitalization rates in Gujarat over the past 365 days were 29 per 1,000 individuals, matching the national trend. Among these, 30 per 1,000 were men and 27 per 1,000 were women. Urban Gujarat saw a slightly higher hospitalization rate of 32 per 1,000 compared to 26 in rural areas. An age-wise breakdown shows that about 75 per 1,000 hospitalized patients were aged above 60 years, while the rate hovered between 10 and 14 per 1,000 for the 5 to 29 age group.
