Universal Health Coverage

Top healthcare UHC strategies and beyond leaders discuss for India for 2023.

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The United Nations celebrates December 12 as the International Universal Health Coverage Day, highlighting the importance of access to healthcare to the entire humanity. The Article 21 of the Constitution of India guarantees right to life and personal liberty as fundamental rights. The right to health is inherent to a life with dignity. However, what is the use of Right to Health when even after 70 years of India's independence, the basic healthcare facilities are out of reach for lakhs of-if not crores of Indian citizens?

In this New Year Special feature, we capture the perspectives and recommendations of top healthcare professionals from hospitals, diagnostic laboratories, pharmaceutical companies, and government agencies. Get all the insights in the following pages.

'Public-private partnership may be the answer'

Universal Health Coverage is to ensure affordable, quality healthcare for all. The steps below may help: 

• Sufficient budgetary allocation on healthcare

• Bridging the urban - rural divide Increasing supply of doctors; paramedical professionals and streamlining their distribution between rural and urban 

• Access to free medicines and diagnostic services

• Improvement and implementation of India's underperforming state insurance schemes: not covering enough people or the right services

• Digitalize the health systems

'Accessibility, quality, and affordability are the key tenets of UHC'

UHC is important in India as a large number of citizens still pay out-of-pocket for healthcare. A persistent low public expenditure on health, lack of human resources in villages and a crippled infrastructure aggravate the problem.