Evolution of the Healthcare Policy Framework in India

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55763/ippr.2025.05.06.003

Abstract

This paper traces the history of the evolution of India's healthcare policy framework, focussing on its major objectives, challenges faced, and outcomes emerged. Though the groundwork for the healthcare framework was laid down by the Bhore Committee's well-thought-out report in 1946, it was only in 1983 that the country framed the first National Health Policy (NHP), followed by NHP -2002 and NHP-2017.  Several other policy initiatives were also concurrently undertaken. The key themes prevalent across most of these policies and specific initiatives included: (i) increasing public health spending and reducing out-of-pocket or catastrophic health spending; (ii) addressing rural-urban inequalities in healthcare; (iii) developing primary healthcare; and (iv) achieving universal health coverage. Though the country has made a good progress in healthcare facilities post-independence,  overall health has remained a low priority, with public health spending at one per cent of GDP - much lower than many of its peers. The rural-urban divide in healthcare services remains wide, with the relative neglect of primary healthcare. The goal of universal health coverage (UHC) is nowhere in sight mainly because of inadequate public health spending. UHC will require public health spending to rise to five per cent of GDP. Therefore, the central and state governments need to commit to raise public health spending to five per cent of GDP in a time-bound manner.

Keywords:

Healthcare Policy Framework, Universal Health Coverage, National Health Policy, Public Health Spending, Primary Healthcare

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Authors Bio

Janak Raj, Centre for Economic and Social Progress

Senior Fellow, Centre for Economic and Social Progress

Shauryavir Dalal , Centre for Economic and Social Progress

Research Associates, Centre for Economic and Social Progress

Aashi Gupta, Centre for Economic and Social Progress

Research Associate, Centre for Economic and Social Progress

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Published

2025-01-26