Context:
India is aiming to achieve affordable Universal Health Coverage (UHC) as a foundation for Viksit Bharat by 2047, since investment in healthcare improves national resilience, productivity, and economic growth.
Key Highlights:
What is Universal Health Coverage (UHC)?
• Universal Health Coverage (UHC) means ensuring all people have access to the full range of quality health services they need:
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Health promotion
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Disease prevention
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Treatment
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Rehabilitation
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Palliative care
• Services must be available when and where needed, without financial hardship.
• UHC covers healthcare needs across the life course.
Global Significance of UHC:
• UHC is a key goal under the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda (SDGs).
• Reaffirmed globally in 2019 as essential for sustainable development.
• WHO target: Extend UHC to 1 billion more people by 2025, along with:
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Better health emergency protection
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Improved overall well-being
Why UHC is Needed in India?
• India has a large and diverse population, leading to wide health disparities.
• Over 60% of the population depends on government welfare schemes for basic needs.
• Affordable healthcare becomes a crucial factor in improving quality of life.
• UHC aims to ensure equitable access in both rural and urban areas.
• It reduces out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE), which often pushes families into poverty.
Key Government Steps Towards UHC:
National Health Mission (NHM) – 2005:
• Focuses on building community-owned and decentralised health systems.
• Provides accessible, affordable, and quality healthcare to vulnerable populations.
Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY):
• Flagship scheme for achieving universal healthcare.
• Considered the world’s largest public healthcare scheme.
• Covers crores of vulnerable families.
National Health Policy (NHP) – 2017:
• Addresses changing healthcare challenges due to:
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Technological advancements
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Changing socio-economic conditions
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Shifting disease patterns
• Recognises the dual burden of: -
Infectious diseases
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Lifestyle-related Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs)
Digital Health Initiatives:
• Platforms like eSanjeevani provide telemedicine services.
• Supports healthcare delivery in remote areas (but faces digital divide issues).
Challenges in Achieving UHC:
Infrastructure Challenges:
• Uneven distribution of healthcare infrastructure across states and districts.
Human Resource Shortage:
• Lack of skilled health workers, especially in:
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Rural areas
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Tribal regions
Financial Burden:
• High Out-of-Pocket Expenditure (OOPE) remains a major concern.
• Families still face financial shocks during medical emergencies.
Epidemiological Transition:
• India faces rising Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) such as:
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Diabetes
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Hypertension
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Heart diseases
• Alongside persistent infectious diseases.
Digital Divide:
• Despite telemedicine, many citizens lack:
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Reliable internet connectivity
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Smartphones/devices
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Digital literacy
Relevant Prelims Points:
• Universal Health Coverage (UHC):
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Ensures healthcare access without financial hardship.
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Includes preventive + curative + rehabilitative + palliative care.
• WHO Target (2025):
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Extend UHC to 1 billion more people.
• Key Indian Schemes Supporting UHC:
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National Health Mission (2005)
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Ayushman Bharat – PMJAY
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National Health Policy 2017
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eSanjeevani Telemedicine
• Issue & Causes:
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Poverty-linked healthcare vulnerability
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Poor rural health access
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Unequal infrastructure distribution
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Rising NCD burden
• Benefits of UHC:
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Reduces poverty caused by healthcare spending
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Improves national productivity
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Strengthens public health resilience
• Challenges:
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Staff shortage
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Poor rural infrastructure
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Digital divide
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High OOPE
Relevant Mains Points:
Conceptual Importance:
• UHC is a moral obligation and also an economic necessity.
• Health is linked with:
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Human capital development
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Labour productivity
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National security (health emergencies)
Key Governance Dimension:
• Health is a State subject (Seventh Schedule), requiring strong Centre–State coordination.
Major Policy Frameworks:
• NHM (2005): Decentralised community-based health delivery.
• National Health Policy 2017: Focus on shifting disease trends and preventive healthcare.
• AB-PMJAY: Social health insurance model for vulnerable populations.
Key Issues for India:
• Persistent regional inequalities in healthcare access.
• Weak primary healthcare, increasing burden on tertiary hospitals.
• Rising NCDs due to lifestyle changes.
• Poor penetration of healthcare in tribal and remote regions.
Way Forward:
• Expand health coverage to all age groups, especially the elderly.
• Strengthen primary healthcare systems (Health and Wellness Centres).
• Improve public health financing and ensure sustainability.
• Encourage Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) in healthcare delivery.
• Promote preventive healthcare, health awareness, and health literacy.
• Bridge the digital divide for telemedicine expansion.
• Improve training and recruitment of healthcare workers in rural regions.
UPSC Relevance (GS-wise):
• GS Paper II: Health governance, welfare schemes, Centre–State coordination.
• GS Paper III: Human resource development, inclusive growth, digital health infrastructure.
• Essay: Viksit Bharat 2047, healthcare as a development pillar.
• Prelims: WHO targets, UHC definition, NHM, AB-PMJAY, NHP 2017.