Did you know that healthcare costs in India account for 4.1% of the national GDP? In addition, private healthcare spending (i.e. costs that the government will not bear) rises to 70.8% of all the country's health expenditure, according to The Guardian. The alternative for the common people then is quite simple: invest in a small number of preventive health checks (which may be fully covered by your insurance) than spend large sums during health crises.
A preventive health check can help you in many ways. Not only will you save yourself the hassle of having to endure the symptoms of the disease, but you will also save money you would otherwise spend on hospital costs. Read on to know why a preventative health checkup is worth it.
Why Preventive Health Checks?
Most health experts agree that annual health checkups are the best way to keep an eye on your health. Here are some reasons to support why this is important:
Even your car also gets serviced twice a year. No one questions why time, effort and money are spent making sure their car is regularly serviced with all the necessary checks. Our bodies also need to be regularly maintained and checked for better functioning. Do you value your health as much as your vehicle?
You lead a sedentary lifestyle. The reality is that people today are so addicted to the digital gadgets and computers that even when you are not working, you surf the web and basically spend both your free time and your working hours in front of some kind of screen. Then there are those who drink, smoke and tremble at the mere thought of daily exercise.
Even healthy people can get sick. While we are young, we feel invincible. But as we age, it all starts with random aches and pains and progresses to high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart attacks, just to name a few serious conditions. If we started caring about our health quickly, most diseases could be prevented before they even occur.
An early diagnosis can lead to a cure. There are many diseases and conditions that have a better prognosis if diagnosed early. This is especially true for chronic and terminal illnesses, such as diabetes, cancer and heart attacks. Regular preventive health checkups will help you find the best treatment alternatives as soon as possible, but also give you better chances to get back to health quickly.
Family history tells more about your future health. Family history means you are more likely to suffer from an illness like your close relatives. For example, if your father has a history of heart problems or your grandmother has high blood sugar, sooner or later you are likely to develop the same conditions.
You receive a tax benefit. You will also receive a tax benefit for such health checks under Section 80-D of the Income Tax Act. In addition to all the other benefits, you can get a tax deduction of up to Rs 5,000 for health checks for you and your close family.
Needless to say, life today is chaotic and stressful which increases the chances of lifestyle disorders.
Despite the necessary care we take for our better health, the insecurities increase with our age, lifestyle, not to mention the habit of taking our health for granted. Regular preventive health checks can be a guide to our health and help us keep track of how time goes by. For those who have serious illnesses in their family, health checks become crucial to get the disease under control or to slow the progression of the disease and prepare a holistic approach to ensure a healthy future.
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