World Health Day

WORLD HEALTH DAY

World Health Day, which is observed every year on April 7, unites us around health equity, an essential topic at the heart of global health and justice.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared health to be a fundamental human right. The theme this year is “My Health, My Right”.

There is an alarming gap in health-care access, highlighted by the COVID-19 epidemic, environmental crises, and growing socio-economic gaps.

Even though over 140 nations recognise health as a constitutional right, the WHO Council on the Economics of Health for All reports that more than half the world’s population needs complete access to essential health services.

WHAT IS THE MEANING OF HEALTH EQUITY?

Health equity ensures that every person has an equal opportunity to achieve their highest health potential, no matter what their circumstances.

Recognising that social, economic, and environmental factors impact health outcomes, this idea goes beyond genetics.

WHO’s mission is to eliminate unfair and preventable disparities in health among different social and economic categories.

True health equity addresses the root causes of health inequities such as poverty, discrimination, limited access to high-quality education, a healthy diet, clean water, fresh air, and housing, and merely grants equal access to health care.

IS THERE NEED FOR HEALTH EQUITY IN INDIA?

Consider an example: A child born into poverty in a rural area has no access to clean water, wholesome food, or immunisations, which lays the foundation for chronic health problems.

These differences are made worse by pandemics, climate change, and sociopolitical unrest.

India is diverse and has wide socioeconomic gaps. Thus this predicament strikes a chord. Access to health care in rural areas is significantly less than in metropolitan areas. Social and economic barriers exacerbate this disparity.

INDIA’S HEALTH EQUITY CHALLENGE

With a large and diversified population, India faces persistent obstacles to health equity, including notable differences in health-care outcomes and access.

• Even though access to health care has improved over the past 20 years, there is still much work to be done in rural India.
• According to the 2011 Census, urban slums make up over 17% of India’s metropolitan areas, and exhibit serious health disparities.
  • Health risks are increased by overcrowding, poor sanitation, and restricted access to clean water. Infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis, are 1.5 times more common in slums than in non-slum areas, according to the Indian Council of Medical Research.
• Disparities across caste are profound. National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-5 (2019-21) data indicates that Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes experience higher child mortality and lower immunisation rates.
• Disparities across gender: 59% of women in the lowest wealth quintile suffer from anaemia, almost double the rate in the highest quintile, demonstrating the intersection of caste, gender, and economic status in health outcomes.
• A critical shortage of doctors exacerbates these issues, with WHO data indicating only 8 doctors per 1,000 people, which is below the advised ratio (1 doctor per 1000 people). Even though over 75% of health-care professionals work in metropolitan regions, which only account for 27% of the population, the shortage is particularly severe in rural areas.

WHAT SHOULD INDIA DO?

India’s health equity issues require a comprehensive approach beyond improvements in health-care facilities to address more extensive socioeconomic determinants of health.

• To move India toward universal health coverage and a more equitable future, the government, civil society, health-care providers, and communities need to work together.
• Governments and officials may influence the state of health through funding, creative policies, and laws.
  • Ayushman Bharat: Provides free health coverage to the bottom 40% economically
  • National Health Mission: includes both the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and the National Urban Health Mission (NUHM), reduces the health-care gap between rural and urban India by expanding access, strengthening infrastructure, and providing essential services to vulnerable populations.
• Achieving health equity requires raising health literacy. India should turn health equality into a shared, community-driven goal by including health education in the NHM, enabling its people to seek equitable care and make educated health decisions.
• Together with the government, the public and private health-care sectors provide services to underprivileged communities, emphasising preventive education, workforce development, and infrastructure enhancement.
• Non-governmental organisations and civic societies engage in direct community outreach to draw attention to and resolve regional health concerns.
  • Their collaboration with international and governmental organisations allows them to tailor health initiatives that are culturally sensitive to the community’s unique needs.
• Through innovation and technical growth, particularly in digital health, the commercial sector and charitable organisations advance accessibility and affordability while extending reach and efficacy.

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