Universal health coverage is considered one of the key targets of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals that were set in stone in New York in September. But just how feasible is it in a country like India?
Important questions have been raised over India’s ability to deliver UHC in a country of more than 1.2 billion, when it only spends just over 1 percent of its gross domestic product on health.
Under the National Health Assurance Mission, essential and generic drugs and diagnostics would be free at public health care facilities, while at the tertiary level for in-patients and outpatients in geriatric and chronic care, drugs would also be free or subsidized.
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About the author
Sophie Cousins
Sophie Cousins a Devex Contributor based in South Asia. She is a health journalist focused on women and girls. She was previously based between Lebanon and Iraq, focusing on refugee health and conflict. She writes for international medical journals, including The Lancet, and for international news websites such as the Guardian.
