India on the Path to Universal Health Coverage-Progress Compared with Other Emerging Economies of BRICS and ASEAN-5
Meenu Grover Sharma1★, Harvinder Popli1★ Corresponding author
- 1School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Delhi Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research University, New Delhi, INDIA.
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Meenu Grover Sharma
School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Delhi Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research University, New Delhi, INDIA.
Received: 05-11-2022; Revised: 18-12-2022; Accepted: 01-01-2023.
Volume 15, Issue 2 · pp. 326–333 · PUBLISHED · DOI: 10.5530/jyp.2023.15.43
ABSTRACT
Background:India has shown remarkable progress on several health parameters and a political will to usher in Universal Health Coverage (UHC) framework as defined by the global sustainable development goal 3.8. Given myriad challenges of a fast-growing economy with a massive population, how India fares on this goal is important not just for the country but also has implications at the global level. This research is a comparative analysis of progress made by India towards UHC vs. peer economies from BRICS and ASEAN-5. Materials and Methods: Three performance indicators were selected through a comprehensive review of research in the area, namely SCI (Service Coverage Index) for “access”, HAQ (Health Access and Quality) for “outcome”, and UHC index for a composite indicator of “access and financial protection”. In addition, financial protection parameters of out-of-pocket expenditures and consequent impoverishment were also considered. These indices measure distinct aspect of UHC, but none covers the full spectrum of success criteria, hence we used cross-tabulation technique for a holistic comparison. Results:Despite significant progress on various health indicators, India lags behind its peer economies of BRICS and ASEAN-5 in achieving UHC goal. A deficit in infrastructure and trained health-workforce continues to undermine efforts to provide healthcare to all, complicated further by inequitable distribution of these resources.Conclusion:Pharmacists have an important role in improving access to healthcare by playing a more active role in preventative care, patient counselling and disease management, thus supporting India’s ambitious journey towards achieving UHC for its over 1.3 billion citizens.
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Sharma, M. G., & Popli, H. (). India on the Path to Universal Health Coverage-Progress Compared with Other Emerging Economies of BRICS and ASEAN-5. Journal of Young Pharmacists, 15(2), 326–333. https://doi.org/10.5530/jyp.2023.15.43