Brief Context
In News Investing in healthcare boosts resilience and productivity, helping India achieve affordable universal care and a Viksit Bharat by 2047. Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Universal health coverage (UHC) means that all people have access to the full range of quality health services they need, when and where they need them, without financial hardship. It covers the full continuum of essential health services, from health promotion to prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and palliative care
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Syllabus: GS2/Health
In News
- Investing in healthcare boosts resilience and productivity, helping India achieve affordable universal care and a Viksit Bharat by 2047.
Universal Health Coverage (UHC)
- Universal health coverage (UHC) means that all people have access to the full range of quality health services they need, when and where they need them, without financial hardship.
- It covers the full continuum of essential health services, from health promotion to prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and palliative care across the life course.
- It is a central goal of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, reaffirmed by global leaders in 2019 as essential to sustainable development.
- The WHO aims to extend UHC to 1 billion more people by 2025, alongside improving health emergency protection and overall well-being.
Why UHC Is Needed?
- India’s vast and diverse population faces significant health disparities. With over 60% of the population dependent on government welfare schemes for basic needs, access to affordable healthcare becomes a critical determinant of well-being.
- It aims to ensure equitable access to essential health services across rural and urban areas. UHC aims to reduce out-of-pocket expenditure, which often pushes families into poverty.
Various Steps
- The National Health Mission—launched in 2005—establishes community-owned and decentralised health systems to provide accessible, affordable, and quality healthcare services to vulnerable populations.
- The Government of India launched the Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) to achieve universal health care.
- It is the world’s largest public healthcare scheme with crores of vulnerable Indian families enrolled in it.
- The National Health Policy 2017 addresses changing healthcare challenges in India as technology advances, socio-economic conditions evolve, and disease patterns shift — such as the rise of lifestyle diseases like non-communicable diseases alongside traditional infectious diseases. In line with this policy,
Challenges
- Uneven distribution of healthcare infrastructure across states and districts.
- Shortage of skilled health workers, especially in rural and tribal regions.
- High out-of-pocket spending, which still accounts for a significant portion of health expenses.
- India faces rising non-communicable diseases alongside infectious diseases.
- While platforms like eSanjeevani offer telemedicine, many lack access to reliable internet or devices.
Suggestions and the Way Ahead
- Achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is vital for India’s moral, economic, and national progress.
- To reach this goal, India must expand coverage to all ages, especially the elderly, strengthen primary healthcare, build public-private partnerships, ensure sustainable health financing, and promote health literacy and preventive care to create an inclusive and resilient health system.
Source: PIB