Spandana Pattanaik, KIIT School of Law
ABSTRACT
The Indian health system faces the ongoing challenge of responding to the needs of the poorest members of Indian society. Although progress has been made in improving access to health care, inequalities in socio-economic status, geography and gender continue. Combined with very high out-of- pocket costs, the rising financial burden of health care dropped significantly in private homes, accounting for more than a third of health spending in India. Health costs cover more than half of India's families falling into poverty; the impact of this has been increasingly putting pressure on around 39 million Indians in poverty each year. In this paper, I identify key challenges in finance and protecting financial risk in India. These include the unequal distribution of resources, limited access to quality health services and inadequate human resources; high out-of-pocket spending, low inflation, and behavioral factors that affect the need for proper health care. The implementation of these principles, as well as the strengthening of public health and primary care services, provides a way to ensure equitable health care for the people of India.
Keywords: Health inequity, Social Conditions, Cities
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