{"id":72782,"date":"2026-05-01T18:34:28","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T13:04:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=72782"},"modified":"2026-05-01T18:34:45","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T13:04:45","slug":"healthcare-access-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/01-05-2026\/healthcare-access-india","title":{"rendered":"Rise in Healthcare Access in India"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/ Health<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>National Statistical Office\u2019s (NSO) 80th Round Survey on Household Consumption on Health highlighted significant increase in healthcare access across the country.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Findings of the Survey<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Out-of-Pocket Expenditure (OOPE):<\/strong> Outpatient care in public facilities recorded zero OOPE, highlighting availability of free essential services.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Over <strong>50% <\/strong>of patients in government hospitals incurred OOPE of less than <strong>\u20b91,100.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Strengthening of Health-Seeking Behaviour:<\/strong> The projected population reporting ailments (PPRA) has increased significantly, reflecting improved health awareness and reporting behaviour.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In rural areas, PPRA increased from <strong>6.8 percent<\/strong> in 2017\u201318 to <strong>12.2 per cent in 2025<\/strong>, while in urban areas it increased from 9.1 per cent to 14.9 per cent.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Improvements in Maternal Healthcare: <\/strong>In rural areas, institutional deliveries rose to 95.6 per cent, while in urban areas they reached <strong>97.8 percent<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Health Insurance Coverage: <\/strong>There is a significant increase in coverage under government-funded health insurance schemes.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Coverage in rural areas increased from <strong>12.9 percent <\/strong>to <strong>45.5 percent<\/strong>, while in <strong>urban areas<\/strong> it increased from 8.9 per cent to<strong> 31.8 percent.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f3f2f2\" data-has-transparency=\"true\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"554\" height=\"305\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-3.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"has-transparency wp-image-72783\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f3f2f2; width:467px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-3.png 554w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-3-300x165.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 554px) 100vw, 554px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Challenges in India\u2019s Healthcare Sector<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Limited Diagnostic Access: <\/strong>Diagnostic facilities are <strong>concentrated in urban areas, <\/strong>limiting early detection in rural regions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Inadequate Infrastructure:<\/strong> India faces a shortage of well-equipped hospitals and medical institutions, especially in rural areas.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Increase in Public Spending: <\/strong>India\u2019s healthcare spending is around <strong>3.8% of GDP, <\/strong>including out-of-pocket and public expenditure.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>There is a severe shortage of trained manpower,<\/strong>\u00a0 which includes doctors, nurses, paramedics and primary healthcare workers.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The doctor-to-patient ratio remains low, which is merely <strong>0.7 doctors per 1,000 people<\/strong> whereas the World Health Organisation (WHO) average is 2.5 doctors per 1,000 people.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Government Initiatives for Healthcare Access<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Ayushman Bharat \u2013 Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY): <\/strong>It provides a health cover of<strong> \u20b95 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care <\/strong>hospitalization.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>All Indians aged 70 and above<\/strong> are eligible for health coverage regardless of their income or socio-economic status.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Affordable Medicines and Diagnostics:\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana <\/strong>ensures availability of low-cost generic medicines.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>AMRIT pharmacies <\/strong>provide essential drugs and medical implants at discounted prices.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA): <\/strong>Launched in <strong>2016, <\/strong>PMSMA provides pregnant women a fixed day, free of cost assured and quality Antenatal Care on the <strong>9th day<\/strong> of every month.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Swasth Bharat Portal <\/strong>is a one-stop integrated platform designed to bring multiple national health programmes onto a single digital interface.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>eSanjeevani<\/strong> enables remote consultation and improves access to specialists, especially in rural areas.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Disease Control and Targeted Programmes:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The National TB Elimination Programme<\/strong> has improved detection, treatment coverage, and reduced TB incidence.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission<\/strong> focuses on screening and eliminating sickle cell disease by 2047.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Programme<\/strong> provides free dialysis services, reducing out-of-pocket expenditure.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e8c2d8\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"329\" height=\"359\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-4.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-72784\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e8c2d8; width:309px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-4.png 329w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-4-275x300.png 275w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 329px) 100vw, 329px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Address Workforce Shortage:<\/strong> Steps should be taken to increase the number of trained doctors, nurses, and paramedics, especially in rural and underserved areas.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Leverage Digital Health: <\/strong>Digital initiatives like <strong>Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission<\/strong> should be expanded to improve efficiency, data management, and service delivery.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Improve Accessibility in Rural Areas: <\/strong>Infrastructure, diagnostics, and specialist services should be expanded beyond urban centres to ensure balanced regional development.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsonair.gov.in\/nso-survey-highlights-significant-rise-in-healthcare-access-across-country\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>AIR<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> National Statistical Office\u2019s (NSO) 80th Round Survey on Household Consumption on Health highlighted significant increase in healthcare access across the country. <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> Key Findings of the Survey <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Out-of-Pocket Expenditure (OOPE): Outpatient care in public facilities recorded zero OOPE, highlighting availability of free essential services. <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Over 50% of patients in government hospitals incurred OOPE of less than \u20b91,100. <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Strengthening of Health-Seeking Behaviour: The projected population reporting ailments (PPRA) has increased significantly, reflecting improved health awareness and reporting behaviour. <\/li>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/01-05-2026\/healthcare-access-india \" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-72782","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72782","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72782"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72782\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":72786,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72782\/revisions\/72786"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72782"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72782"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72782"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}