Prevention is better than cure. This age old proverb holds a lot of relevance in today’s world whenever the health services are being looked at. Post liberalization, the insurance sector in the country opened up for privatization to bridge the gap that the Government of India was unable to fill. India as of today spends around 6% of its GDP on health care of which only 1.75% is provided by the Government and the rest 4.75% by the private health insurers.

The entry of private players in the health insurance market has far reaching effects on the sector as well as the economy of the country. It has led to the development and integration of Third Party Administrators (TPAs) to the health sector. Over a period of time, it has brought several challenges – primarily the rising costs of health services. The price rise is considerable for the services managed by the TPA’s. On the other hand, it is moderate for self funded health insurance. One of the reasons why the healthcare costs are rising is that the payment is done by someone else. We are prudent and conservative when we pay our own bills.

Another reason for the increasing cost is the development and introduction of new technologies in medical care due to new diseases and newer health risks. The cost of healthcare is inversely proportional to its accessibility. The higher the cost, the lower is the accessibility to health services. Either a person is forced to completely let go the health cover or he has to opt for lower coverage due to higher premiums that are being charged to the customer. India is a growing economy where the gap between the rich and poor is widening day by day. No one solution would be able to tackle the giant of rising healthcare costs. The government, health providers and we people each have a role to play and pay lot more attention to the Preventive and primary health care.

The first thing we might think of when we hear the word ‘canopy’ is the leaves of tall trees which make a heavy cover overhead, not allowing the sun to touch the heavy undergrowth in dense forests. In modern times, ‘canopy’ has a different meaning. Canopies, or outdoor canopies, are temporary coverings used in open outside space. However, there are a number of varieties of canopies, and one has the opportunity to choose from hundreds of canopies that are easily available at retail shops and online as well.

A few types of canopies are outdoor shade canopies, outdoor canopy tents, garden canopies, pop-up canopies, KD canopies and so on. Canopies are not only meant for taking rest in the outdoors, but are also concerned with the protection of your valuable outdoor assets. Usually, the canopies are attractive and sturdy. They serve as cover, shade and shelter for your patio, greenhouse, party, flea market, parking space, nursery, plants, flowers, camping area, garden area, pet, storage, deck, pool, barbeque, dog kennel, outdoor event or construction area.

Not only this, a canopy can also give shelter and protection to one’s car, truck, recreational vehicle, boat, Jet Ski and other such things. These fancy and multi-functional canopies can also be used as a free-standing carport, dock house, gazebo, garage and virtually any other cover. However, the most popular canopy of today is the portable canopy. A portable canopy is the one which can be carried from one place to another without much effort. Usually these canopies are foldable. The portable canopies are basically tents without sides, just a top supported by poles.