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22 Feb 2025
GS Paper 2
Polity & Governance
Day 72: India's journey towards comprehensive healthcare requires a balance of universal access, preventive care, and digital health solutions to bridge rural-urban disparities.Explain.(250 words)
Approach
- Briefly introduce the importance of healthcare in India’s socio-economic development
- Explain the need for universal access, preventive care, and digital health solutions in Indian healthcare.
- Substantiate points with some data and facts.
- Conclude suitably.
Introduction
India, with a population of 1.4 billion, faces significant healthcare challenges, including inadequate infrastructure, high out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE), and rural-urban disparities. To ensure comprehensive healthcare, India must focus on universal access, preventive care, and digital health solutions to bridge healthcare inequalities.
Body
Ensuring Universal Healthcare Access
- Need:
- Infrastructure Gaps: 75% of healthcare facilities are in urban areas, while 65% of Indians live in rural regions.
- Limited Funding and Resources: Despite being the world's fifth-largest economy, India's healthcare expenditure stands at a mere 2.1% of GDP for FY23, significantly lower than the 5-12.5% typically spent by most countries.
- Doctor Shortage: India has 1 doctor per 1,511 people in 2022. (WHO norm: 1:1,000).
- Dependence on Out-of-Pocket Expenditure: The NHA estimates that 39.4% of total health expenditures in India are out-of-pocket, placing a significant financial burden on families
- Government Initiatives:
- Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY: Provides ₹5 lakh insurance coverage to 10 crore vulnerable families.
- Health & Wellness Centers (HWCs): Aim to strengthen primary healthcare services across India.
- National Urban Health Mission (NUHM): Focuses on urban slum populations.
- Steps Ahead: Increase government healthcare spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2025, with a strong focus on bolstering primary healthcare infrastructure and services at the community level, as outlined in the National Health Policy 2017.
Strengthening Preventive Healthcare
- Need:
- Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like diabetes and hypertension cause 63% of deaths.
- Poor sanitation and malnutrition lead to high infant and maternal mortality rates.
- Government Efforts:
- Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (SBA): Reduced waterborne diseases through improved sanitation.
- POSHAN Abhiyaan: Tackles malnutrition and stunting in children.
- Mission Indradhanush: Expanded immunization coverage across India.
- Steps Ahead: Promote mass awareness campaigns, expand screening for NCDs, and integrate traditional medicine (AYUSH) into primary care.
Leveraging Digital Health Solutions
- Need:
- Telemedicine: Bridges the rural-urban gap by enabling remote specialist consultations.
- Artificial Intelligence (AI): Helps in early disease detection and diagnosis.
- National Digital Health Mission (NDHM): Establishes electronic health records for seamless patient care.
- Government Initiatives:
- e-Sanjeevani: Facilitated 1.4 crore teleconsultations (2023), improving access in remote areas.
- CoWIN Platform: Ensured efficient COVID-19 vaccine distribution.
Conclusion
India's healthcare future lies in universal access, preventive care, and digital innovation, transforming health into a pillar of national progress. By increasing public health spending and bridging rural-urban gaps, India can build a resilient, inclusive, and future-ready healthcare system.