India’s vision of good health implies not just being free of disease but to ensure wellness and welfare for everyone. The goal is to ensure physical, mental and social wellbeing.”
Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India
Introduction
Our aspiration of Viksit Bharat by 2047 is intertwined with the goal of having a healthy and productive population. Even as current challenges to health call for continued attention in 2025, newly emerging and anticipated threats to population health must be countered from now on. A healthy population is vital for Viksit Bharat because it leads to enhanced quality of life, reduced healthcare burdens, and self- reliant population necessary for economic growth. Disease-free India will ensure the necessary human and financial capital to achieve development goals by 2047.
Delivering a thought-provoking keynote address on Doctor’s Day, Union Minister and Hon’ble Chairperson IIPA, Dr. Jitendra Singh called for a synergised, inclusive & futuristic healthcare ecosystem in alignment with the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047.1 He exhorted that promoting advancement of medical sciences, improving public health, and upholding the dignity of the medical profession is more relevant today than ever before with the changing face of medicine in India; and the shift from a time dominated by infectious diseases to a present-day dual burden of communicable and non-communicable Doctor’s Day Conclave 29 June 2025 diseases, is creating both challenges and opportunities for Indian doctors and researchers.
As we stare at 2047, the paradox of India’s demographic profile becomes increasingly obvious where a young country with over 70% of the population under 42, is at the same time, ageing rapidly. Life expectancy has increased from 50 years in the 1950s to over 70 years today and this shift needs to transcend to new curriculum, new mindset, and a new model of medical practice.
A holistic, integrated approach to healthcare, blending modern allopathic medicine with AYUSH systems and cutting-edge technological advancements by dissolving silos between different systems of medicine, and encouraging openness to integration rather than scepticism viz. moving toward integrative medicine is an urgent need. The trajectory to 2047 requires India to set the pace and take on the mantle of leadership in medical sciences, and towards this the DNA vaccine, gene therapy trials, development of indigenous antibiotics are some breakthroughs in the ascending curve and emerging biobanks and genome repositories shall be critical to future research. The intervening period is being defined by rapid technological change including AI-assisted surgery, robotic diagnostics, and telemedicine. The future would require bridging the public-private divide in healthcare delivery, and the transformation demands a whole-of-nation healthcare, powered by whole-of-medicine collaboration.
The double helix of financial and health resources must provide the DNA for the growth and development of a robust health system.
10 Facets of Health Access & Quality for Viksit Bharat @2047
The paper is an assimilation of the 10 pillars identified in the Health Sector viz. Health Access & Quality as one of the ten factors towards Viksit Bharat @2047. Each pillar has been analysed in succinct with respect to its role in transformation of the health sector as an enabler for India @2047.
Pillar -1: Guarantee Right to Health Through a New Law
Enact a Universal Health Coverage Guarantee Law to make healthcare a justiciable right for every Indian citizen. This law should obligate both the Centre and states to provide access to essential health services, irrespective of income, geography, or employment status. This will ensure service continuity, accountability, and reduced out-of-pocket expenses. It should define a clear package of primary and secondary services, and create mechanisms for grievance redressal.
Present Status
In India, the right to health is a robust, though not explicitly stated right, that has been interpreted and expanded by the judiciary through Article 21 of the Constitution. Supplemented by Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP) and specific legislation, India’s legal framework provides a broad scope for guidance of the state in formulating policies to promote the welfare of the people, including health. The judiciary has consistently held that the state has a constitutional obligation to provide adequate medical facilities to its people and that public health is a primary duty of the government. Despite legal protections, challenges remain, such as inadequate public health spending, unequal access to healthcare, and implementation issues. The non- binding nature of DPSPs also affects their direct enforcement.
The Indian case (judicial construction of the right to health based on the right to life) illustrates the important symbolic as well as extra-territorial impacts of a judicially constructed right to health care, while also revealing the limitations of the Indian Government’s judicial power to catalyse broader policy changes, including financing, that would transform access in practice. Judicial interpretations of intellectual property rights have played an enormously important role in enabling India to become ‘the world’s pharmacy.’ The judiciary has also issued expansive orders seeking to eliminate bureaucratic barriers that restrict access to care for indigent and marginalised populations. Nonetheless, high dependence on public-private partnerships and the private delivery of care significantly undermines access as well as equity within India.
External Environment Scan
A significant number of countries have made a legal commitment to guaranteeing the right to health for their citizens, often by enshrining in the constitution, but with mixed outcomes. despite recent efforts to extend primary health care. An analysis of specific country contexts in the detailed case studies reveals the path dependence of advancing health rights, as well as some inferences regarding health financing and governance across contexts.
Federalism & Decentralisation – India’s Healthcare Imperative
In India, healthcare is designated as a state subject wherein the states are solely responsible for providing health and allied services to its citizens. But this does not guarantee a comprehensive autonomy to the states, as they must rely on the Centre for the most crucial element financial support. The Centre’s interest in healthcare also goes beyond finances and encapsulates health infrastructure, management of institutions, regulatory onus, medical education, training, research, and more importantly healthcare policies.
Major healthcare programmes in the country are driven by the Centre and implemented by the states, making the lines of control a tad blurry. This causes obscurity in the accountability for the organisation of the healthcare system in India, one of the major challenges India’s healthcare systems faces currently. Since states also have their own mechanism to design policies and disburse their resources for meeting their own healthcare needs, the quality and accessibility to healthcare deviates across states. Since the current mix of cooperative and competitive federalism has not helped eliminate the inter- state disparities and the inequitable access of medical care to different strata of the population.
India has also used international treaty-making jurisdictions to enact national legislation on health, which at times bypasses the roles/powers of state governments. Another major shift in health federalism has been triggered by rapid technological transformations, particularly the ongoing data revolution. Health data is emerging in all shapes and from multi-levels and has necessitated centralised management for effective policymaking, albeit with ramifications on local autonomy. For instance, the flagship National Digital Health Blueprint (NDHB) is developing an integrated health information system that aims to improve transparency, efficiency and quality of citizen experience. It needs to be mentioned that NDHB is federally controlled and aims to be interoperable while seeking cooperation and collaboration from public and private agencies. What is missing in this is the active involvement of the states. In short, the disruptive digital technology and the data revolution in healthcare have major implications for health federalism.
A universal law as proposed herein, therefore needs to factor such intricacies or else policy interventions may go down the case study route as mentioned above.
The following aspects must be addressed before crystallising this proposal at Pillar 1: -
• Whether have we reached the level of economic and health systems development to make this a justiciable right implying that its denial is an offence
• Whether when health care is State subject, the desirability to make a Central law!
3 Akanksha Borawake, Insightful India’s Healthcare Needs a ‘Healthy’ Balance between Federalism and Decentralisation, Centre for Public Policy Research
4 Niranjan Sahoo, April 05, 2024, Health federalism in India: Changing trends, Observer Research Foundation
• Whether such a law should mainly focus on the enforcement of public health standards on water, sanitation, food safety, air pollution etc, or whether it should focus on health rights - access to health care and quality of health care
• Whether right to health can be perceived unless the basic health infrastructure like doctor-patient ratio, patient bed ratio, nurses- patient ratio, etc are near or above threshold levels and uniformly spread-out across the geographical frontiers of the country.
To start with, the two preconditions are – one, is the need for substantial increase in health budget allocations; and two, the need for strategic enhancements in healthcare infrastructure and services to address the persistent gaps in healthcare delivery and financing. This calls for an aggressive approach to public health investment to ensure that quality healthcare services are accessible, affordable, and equitable for all citizens, thereby advancing India’s progress toward comprehensive health coverage.5
Recommendation – Pillar 1 is recommended in the longer run; however, before realising healthcare as a right, the need is for creating an enabling environment.
Pillar -2: Build an Indian CDC
India must establish a National Disease Control and Surveillance Agency—an autonomous body with a dedicated budget and legal mandate to function as the equivalent of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This agency should coordinate real- time outbreak responses, track emerging infectious diseases, and maintain national health intelligence systems. It should also facilitate data-driven research, global collaboration, and public health preparedness for future pandemics and emergencies.
Comparison with US CDC
India’s next challenge remains most importantly the growing eminence of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) accounting for 66% of deaths. Although institutions such as the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) exist with a large focus on communicable diseases and surveillance-outbreak investigations including epidemics/ pandemics, India still lacks a centralised, well-funded, and autonomous health security agency akin to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In comparison, the US CDC has a budget of 09 BUSD vis-à-vis a few hundred crores in India. Establishing an Indian CDC is therefore imperative. This body should be autonomous with its own budget, legal mandate, and technical workforce. Its primary functions should comprise disease prevention and control, health promotion and preparedness, research, emergencies including epidemics and natural disasters. It could set nationwide protocols for genomic sequencing, standardised testing, and health modelling, ensuring that states and districts have reliable guidance.
Challenges
These lie in institutional overlap, as a plethora of institutions like ICMR, State Health departments, National Institutes for Tuberculosis, AIDS, leprosy, hepatitis etc exists and would entail one-roof integration administratively. At present, health remains a state subject, and coordination between central and state agencies does not optimally exists. A centralised CDC must therefore work in tandem with state health departments, ensuring uniformity without affecting local autonomy.
An Indian CDC would not only strengthen pandemic preparedness but also act as a watchdog for rising lifestyle diseases, antimicrobial resistance, and climate-related health risks. By consolidating fragmented disease surveillance systems under one roof, India can transform its healthcare architecture to be more resilient, data-driven, and globally integrated. The long-term dividends include lower mortality in emergencies, better preventive health outcomes, and enhanced public trust in government health systems.
Recommendation – Pillar 2 is recommended for reforms.
Pillar -3: No Hospital Licence Without Accreditation
To improve quality and accountability in healthcare, make accreditation from the NABH (National Accreditation Board for Hospitals) or an equivalent body mandatory for all private hospitals. Link accreditation to essential regulatory incentives such as empanelment in public insurance schemes, tax exemptions, and licence renewals. This will enforce uniform standards in clinical care, patient safety, infection control, and grievance redressal.
An interesting fact remains that as on date even AIIMS, New Delhi does not bear any accreditation to any institution which bears testimony to the fact that hospital accreditation in our country is not mandatory (but voluntary accredition) and arrives with a magnitude of issues such as bureaucratic procedure, high costs, and institutional overlaps between NABH, State Clinical Establishments, medical councils.
India’s healthcare system comprising premier hospitals, government hospitals, health centres, clinics, private and nursing homes, blood banks etx often lack basic infection control, safety norms, or grievance redressal mechanisms. This inconsistency undermines patient safety and erodes trust in the health system. Making accreditation mandatory for licensing can change this landscape.
Reforms required which could be studied include linking accreditation directly with hospital licensing which could enforce baseline standards across the sector. Other measures could include hospitals without accreditation should not be empanelled under government insurance schemes such as Ayushman Bharat, tax concessions, expedited licence renewals, and inclusion in public-private partnership programs should be linked to compliance. We would also have to look into sectoral accreditions more carefully which would be program specific for different healthcare facilities. Technical assistance, subsidised training for smaller facilities, digital self-assessment tools and tiered accreditation levels could further ease the transition.
Internationally, nations such as Australia and South Korea have shown that compulsory accreditation markedly improves patient safety, treatment outcomes, and institutional accountability. For India, making accreditation a precondition for licensing would not only establish uniform standards of care but also minimise instances of clinical malpractice and systemic lapses. At the same time, it would enhance India’s reputation as a credible hub for medical tourism, where global patients demand consistent and transparent quality benchmarks. In this light, accreditation should not be perceived as a regulatory burden, but rather as the baseline assurance of safe, ethical, and responsible healthcare delivery for all citizens.
Recommendation – Pillar 3 is recommended for reforms.
Pillar -4: Set up a health pricing authority
Establish an independent Health Pricing Authority to oversee the pricing of diagnostics, procedures, and essential medicines. Modelled on the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority, it should use actuarial analysis, clinical outcomes, and cost benchmarks to set fair, inflation-adjusted reference prices. The goal is to ensure affordability for patients without compromising on quality, innovation, and sustainability of service providers.
Healthcare Affordability
The issue remains a critical challenge in India. While the government regulates the prices of some essential drugs through the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), there is little oversight of hospital procedures, diagnostics, and non-essential medicines. Healthcare costs to citizens includes pharmaceuticals, medical devices, diagnostics, hospital procedures, services, insurance, traditional medicine and OTC health products. Citizens undergoing healthcare often are plagued with inflated bills, inconsistent charges and wide price variations across hospitals.
Independent Health Pricing Authority
A dedicated independent authority under Health Ministry (could be a Health Pricing Authority) with statutory backing would correct this imbalance. Modelled on the NPPA, the HPA would regulate the wide spectrum under healthcare using actuarial analysis, cost benchmarks, and clinical outcome studies. It could set model price that balance affordability with sustainability for service providers.
Such an authority could reduce out-of-pocket expenditure, which currently accounts for more than 50% of India’s total health spending. It would also help standardise insurance reimbursements, preventing disputes between hospitals and insurers. By creating a transparent framework, it would also prevent price surging during exigencies, as seen during the COVID-19 oxygen and testing shortages.
Implementation challenges include balancing regulation with innovation, allowing differential pricing, integrating insurance ensuring private sector cooperation, and updating benchmarks in line with inflation and new technologies. The authority must operate independently, insulated from political and corporate pressures. The CGHS model could be taken as a ‘starter’, and the pilot phase for implementation could include standardizing approximately ten high burden procedures and diagnostics.
An effective HPA would not mean “price controls” but rather fair and transparent pricing mechanisms. It would ensure patients get quality care without financial ruin, while providers receive reasonable compensation. In the long run, this could enhance trust, expand insurance penetration, and drive India closer to the goal of universal health coverage.
Recommendation – Pillar 4 is recommended for reforms
Pillar -5: Mandate clear labelling of health products Mandate clear front-of-pack labelling and full ingredient disclosure for all health-related consumer products, including packaged food, cosmetics, dietary supplements, over-the- counter medicines, and traditional remedies like Ayurvedic formulations. A unified labelling standard across regulatory bodies should be enforced to prevent conflicting rules and ensure transparency. Strict penalties must be imposed for misleading health claims, hidden additives, or non-disclosure.
India’s consumer health market is flooded with packaged foods, cosmetics, dietary supplements, and traditional medicines. Misleading labels, non-declaration of additives, and advertised health claims remain an issue. The lack of transparency undermines consumer rights and poses risks to public health. Clear, standardised labelling is therefore essential.
Reform Necessary
The proposed reform calls for front-of-pack labelling (FoPL) with easily understood symbols or colour codes that indicate high levels of sugar, salt, or fat. Additionally, full ingredient disclosure should be mandatory across all health-related consumer products, including Ayurvedic and herbal formulations, which often escape stringent scrutiny. A unified labelling framework, cutting across regulatory bodies like FSSAI, CDSCO, BIS, and the Ministry of AYUSH, would prevent overlapping rules and enforcement gaps. For example, FSSAI governs packaged foods, while CDSCO regulates medicines, leading to inconsistent requirements. A single national code would simplify compliance and improve consumer confidence.
Enforcement is another critical pillar. Strict penalties for non- disclosure, misbranding, or false health claims must be implemented. Regulators could also mandate QR codes linked to national portals where consumers can verify authenticity and detailed product information. The MSME sector, which dominates India’s health product industry, will need special support to adapt. Government could provide technical guidance, subsidies for packaging upgrades, and digital tools to streamline compliance.
India, grappling with a dual burden of malnutrition and rising NCDs, stands to gain enormously from transparent labelling. Ultimately, empowering citizens with the right to know what they consume is as crucial as access to healthcare itself.
Recommendation – Pillar 5 is recommended for reforms.
Pillar -6: Your Health Data, Your Right
Enact a Health Data Ownership Act to legally recognise individuals as the primary owners of their health records. The law should clearly regulate how hospitals, insurers, and digital health start-ups collect, store, and share personal health data. It must mandate explicit patient consent for data use and ensure stringent digital security. Establish a dedicated authority to enforce compliance, manage grievances, and audit data practices.
As healthcare increasingly goes digital, personal health data has become one of the most sensitive assets of the 21st century. Electronic health records, insurance claims, telemedicine platforms, and wearable devices generate vast amounts of data. While these hold potential for innovation and personalised care, they also raise serious concerns about privacy, consent, and misuse. Health data can be commercially exploited, lead to insurance discrimination, employee discrimination, fraud to avail drugs or medical service, breach of privacy/ dignity etc.
Importance
India currently lacks a dedicated legal framework granting individuals ownership of their health data. A proposed Health Data Ownership Act would fill this gap by recognising patients as the primary custodians of their medical records. Hospitals, insurers, and digital health start-ups could only access or share such data with explicit, informed consent.
Such legislation would require strict protocols for data collection, storage, and transfer. Encryption, anonymisation, and regular audits must be mandated to safeguard against breaches. A dedicated Health Data Protection Authority could oversee compliance, adjudicate grievances, and penalise violators.
This framework would align with the ongoing Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), which seeks to create a unified health ID and electronic health ecosystem. By clearly defining rights and responsibilities, India could balance the twin goals of innovation and privacy.
Challenges include harmonising the new law with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, managing consent in low-literacy populations, and preventing misuse by private corporations. Public awareness campaigns will be key to ensuring citizens understand their rights and obligations.
With trust at the heart of healthcare, guaranteeing individuals’ right over their health data is not just a legal reform but a moral imperative. It can empower citizens, improve transparency, and build a secure foundation for the future of digital health in India.
Recommendation – Pillar 6 is recommended for reforms.
Pillar -7: Mission Senior Care
Launch a National Geriatric Health Mission to address the unique needs of India’s growing elderly population. The programme should focus on home- based medical support, age- friendly hospital infrastructure, and specialised care hubs for chronic conditions like dementia, arthritis, and cardiovascular diseases. It must include respite care services for caregivers and train healthcare workers in geriatric protocols. As India ages, the health system must evolve from acute interventions to long-term, preventive, and palliative models.
With the population of India gradually ageing, increasing life expectancy (and will do so as we approach 2047), the longitudinal ageing study of India predicts that the ratio of individuals aged 60 and above is further expected to increase from the current levels of about 12.8%6 to be about 20% by 2050. Infirmity, illness, mobility limitations, and financial fraud are concerns with ageing population. The rise of the nuclear family system and lack of comprehensive care add to the vulnerability.7 As we undergo demographic transition, it becomes imperative to strengthen health and ancillary services centring around the needs of an ageing population, and experiences around the world suggest the need to imagine a comprehensive model of care for seniors. While several policies including the National Health Care for Elderly and National Action Plan for Seniors cater to the needs of an increasing senior population, and the NITI AAYOG Position Paper of 2017 catalyses senior care reforms, highlighting the existing services and gaps in senior treatment, very correctly to close the gaps to create a comprehensive service delivery framework would need to extend beyond medical care.
The elderly care policies and initiatives must also underscore the principles of dignity and respect, financial autonomy, and empowerment, and ensure in addition to health, social, financial, and digital inclusion of the elderly population. This would also entail overcoming the deficiencies in regulatory provisions, accessibility, implementation of services, awareness of rights/ services, and lack of convergence between stakeholders in senior care; as also ramping up resources and capabilities.
Recommendation – Pillar 7 is recommended; however, the proposed National Geriatric Health Mission may consider expanding beyond medical care and be all-inclusive, designed for effective and synergized senior care.
Pillar -8: Better Mental Health Insurance
Mandate full parity between mental and physical health in insurance coverage, government funding, and employer policies. All insurers must cover psychiatric consultations, medications, and hospital stays under the same terms as physical illnesses. Expand access to public mental health infrastructure, including district-level clinics and tele-counselling services. Invest in training mental health professionals and running awareness campaigns to reduce stigma.
Linkages - Mental Health and Economics
India’s demographic dividend is riding on skills, education, physical health and, above all, mental health of its youth.8 As we train our sights on 2047, a mentally healthier India is vital for individual well-being, economic growth, and national development. Poor mental health leads to lower workplace performance, increased absenteeism, and reduced efficiency. Mental well-being affects interpersonal relationships, self-confidence, and social interactions, and according to WHO, mental disorders contribute significantly to the global burden of disease, and untreated conditions can lead to high economic costs. The economic loss due to mental health conditions, between 2012- 2030, in India is estimated at USD 1.03 trillion.9
Prevalence and Treatment Gap
The National Mental Health Survey (NMHS) 2015-16 by NIMHANS found that 10.6% of adults in India suffer from mental disorders. The lifetime prevalence of mental disorders in India is 13.7%. National studies reveal that 15% of India’s adult population experiences mental health issues requiring intervention. Urban areas have a higher prevalence (13.5%) compared to rural (6.9%). There also exists a Treatment Gap as 70% to 92% of people with mental disorders do not receive proper treatment due to lack of awareness, stigma, and shortage of professionals.
While the National Mental Health Programme (NMHP) was launched in 1982 factoring the growing burden of mental disorders and the shortage of mental health services, according to the Indian Journal of Psychiatry, India has 0.75 psychiatrists per 100,000 people, whereas WHO recommends at least 3 per 100,000. Thus, the primary goal was to ensure that mental healthcare becomes an integral part of the general healthcare system, rather than being confined to specialized hospitals did not fructify.
The National Health Policy (NHP), 2017 acknowledges mental health as a national health priority and through a multi-pronged approach, integrates mental healthcare into primary healthcare, strengthening human resources, and improving treatment accessibility. Under Ayushman Bharat, mental health services have been added in the package of services under Comprehensive Primary Health Care provided at the Ayushman Arogya Mandirs. As part of the National Mental Health Programme, more postgraduate students are being in mental health and provide advanced treatment, departments in mental health have been established or upgraded in number of government medical colleges as also mental health services are also being introduced in newly established AIIMS.
Insurance Imbroglio
Industrialised nations have taken care of problem of mental health wherein either Government or private insurers have formulated several insurance products to ease burden of payment for chronic illnesses, and this also includes outpatient services & prescription drugs. However, most insurance policy brochures in India either remain silent on mental illness aspects or say that any kind of counselling, cognitive behavioural therapy, or psychotherapy which does not require hospitalization is excluded from their policy. Alzheimer’s disease, dementia in Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease are permanently excluded if they exist at the time of taking policy, and these are aspects prevalent in the elderly population. Some illnesses such as recurrent depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, disease lasts lifelong necessitating a chronic expenditure and are thus opportunely omitted by the insurance companies. Further, the stigma of mental illness in India, howsoever routine and common, dissuades employers especially in the private and informal sectors from hiring and retaining employees.
Despite policy interventions by the Government, major limitations stem from cultural issues aka. - traditional Indian family-centric societal structure and challenges faced by caregivers and practical implementation and enforcement in rural areas. The need is for early intervention strategies to address anxiety, stress, and behavioural issues in students in schools, improving workplace mental health policies like job stress, long working hours, and burnout as also expanding and strengthening digital mental health services like Tele MANAS and integrating AI-based mental health solutions.
Recommendation – Pillar 8 is recommended; however, the proposed title Better Mental Health Insurance may be replaced by whole of community approach to tackling mental health problems.
Pillar -9: Nurture domestic MedTech innovation
Launch a dedicated public-private innovation fund to support early-stage start-ups in medical devices and diagnostics. The fund should provide design mentorship, clinical validation support, regulatory guidance, and matched grants. Priority must be given to affordable, scalable solutions tailored for rural and underserved populations. By nurturing domestic medtech innovation, India can reduce its heavy dependence on imports and create homegrown solutions. This aligns with the Atmanirbhar Bharat mission.
India is currently significant importer of medical devices. Exports are presently limited to low technology and expendable material, but has the potential to emerge as key exporter and global MedTech industry leader. This in turn would require partnerships that would open new opportunities, and investment possibilities to bring scale, quality, and innovation into India. While the government is supportive, but productivity is lacking and hence the need is to bring into the loop all young demographic opportunities viz. start- ups. Atmanirbharta or ‘Make in India, Make for the World’ should not just be a slogan, but calls for strategy to be built on scale, skill and sovereignty.
The core mission must remain centred on patient well-being and on developing high-quality, cost-effective medical devices for both domestic andglobal markets. The two drivers towards mission accomplishment are - one, domestic demand for affordable and innovative healthcare solutions; and second, the growing capabilities and innovation ecosystem. The enabler herein is the Government policies and competitive industry driving India’s MedTech sector for sustained double-digit growth in the form of: -
• Expanding medical device park facilities.
• Production linked incentive (PLI) scheme for medical devices.
• Marginal investment scheme for backward integration.
• Promotion of R&D and innovation in Pharma MedTech sector.
Quality matters in MedTech and hence to make an impact in export markets the products need to be highest standards. Further, as we innovate in this sector there is a need to have a multi-pronged strategy in place wherein India can also become the hub for international standards and certification for Pharma and MedTech on lines of Singapore.
Recommendation – Pillar 9 is recommended; however, medical device regulations must evolve in tandem with global standards and proactive compliance.
Pillar -10: One India, One Trauma Care Grid
Establish a national trauma care network with units located along highways, rail corridors, and urban hotspots. This grid should include a centralised emergency helpline, GPS- enabled ambulance systems, trained paramedics, and rapid-response teams. Integration with public health, transport, and disaster management agencies is essential for speedy coordination. With India among the countries with the highest road accident fatalities, a real-time trauma care system is critical.
India faces the deluge of a constant rise of fatalities and injuries in accidents wherein more than 10% of deaths are attributed to injuries including road traffic, drowning, burn and falls. As the country prospers economically, the burden of vehicular accidents, with road traffic accidents are also increasing at an alarming rate. Further massive and increasing urbanization of India puts a strain on existing resources and infrastructure.
While the National Program for Prevention & Management of Trauma and Burn Injuries (NPPMT& BI) and emergency response service through DIAL 108, 112 & 1033 as, the Challenges in Indian trauma care include a severe lack of infrastructure (especially in rural areas), a shortage of trained personnel and equipment in pre-hospital care delaying care during the critical “Golden Hour”. This is coupled with a dearth of well-trained doctors and paramedics in trauma life-support skills, especially at primary and secondary healthcare centres. There is poor coordination and networking between hospitals, and the absence of a national lead agency to oversee and coordinate the complex components of a comprehensive trauma system is conspicuous. Inadequate injury data collection makes it difficult to identify injury patterns and target interventions effectively; and a failure to recognize injury as a public health priority manifest in inadequate governmental investment and policy prioritization of trauma care.
In challenges lie opportunities like establishing a pan-India trauma care network to ensure no victim has to travel more than 50 kilometres for care; leveraging telemedicine to improve care and by implementing strict road- safety measures and effective law enforcement to significantly reduce the number of accidents and trauma cases.
Recommendation – Pillar 10 is recommended to achieve global standards and proactive intervention.
Concluding Thoughts
Resources are always limited as compared to the increasing population and towards this the Indian health care system is plagued by overpopulation, lack of expert clinicians, lack of motivation among existing health work force like Nurses, Laboratory technicians and a following an effective referral mechanism. A graduated referral system that directs patients to the most appropriate level of care based on their medical needs is a must and this calls for strengthening primary care with adhering to strict regulations and innovations. are necessary for improvement in existing referral systems in India.11
The need is for holistic healthy approach to life that considers multidimensional aspects of wellness encouraging individuals to recognize the whole person viz. physical, mental, emotional, social, intellectual, and spiritual. Traditional Indian medicine is one of the oldest medical sciences in the world and Ayurveda emphasizes holistic medicine, which takes the body, mind, and spirit as a whole.12
The path to 2047 also is witnessing a shift away from traditional diets and active lifestyles towards sedentary routines and high-carbohydrate diets. Rapid socio-economic changes and increased affluence are associated with rising obesity and diabetes. The rising prevalence of obesity and diabetes “Diabesity” Crisis, especially as kids are now getting lifestyle disease places a significant economic burden on India’s healthcare system and affects productivity.13
The health of India’s workforce is fundamental to achieving its economic potential. Without addressing the underlying factors that hinder health access and quality, India’s growth trajectory could be substantially hindered. The urgent need is for prioritizing integrated public health strategies that address the shared roots and risks and for strategic interventions in health sector and equitable access to care.
