Healthcare equity in urban India

Subject – Governance

Context – Life expectancy lower for urban poor, says study

Concept –

Life expectancy among the poorest is lower by 9.1 years among men and 6.2 years among women from the corresponding figures for the richest in urban areas, noted a report released recently by Azim Premji University in collaboration with 17 regional NGOs across India.
The report, “Healthcare equity in urban India”, explores health vulnerabilities and inequalities in cities in India.
It also looks at the availability, accessibility and cost of healthcare facilities, and possibilities in future-proofing services in the next decade.
It notes that a third of India’s population lives in urban areas, with this segment seeing a rapid growth from about 18% (1960) to 28.53% (2001) and 34% (in 2019). Close to 30% of people living in urban areas are poor.
The report, besides finding disproportionate disease burden on the poor, also points to a chaotic urban health governance, where the multiplicity of healthcare providers both within and outside the Government without coordination are challenges to urban health governance.
The other key findings include a heavy financial burden on the poor, and less investment in healthcare by urban local bodies.