April 7th marks World Health Day, a global observance that also commemorates the founding of the World Health Organization (WHO), a specialized agency of the United Nations. Each year, WHO highlights a specific public health issue, rallying national and international healthcare organizations to raise awareness and take action on pressing global health challenges.
This year, 2025, the theme for World Health Day is Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures.
What is the biggest barrier to achieving universal healthcare in India?
Drop your thoughts, experiences, or insights below.
“I believe the biggest barrier to achieving universal healthcare in India is low public healthcare funding. Without sufficient investment, government hospitals lack resources, infrastructure remains underdeveloped, and people are forced to rely on expensive private care—making healthcare unaffordable for many.”
The biggest barrier in achieving universal healthcare in India is the poor standards of government hospitals in India. When the Government hospitals in India are well equipped with human and instrumental resources, the patients will feel comfortable and have a confidence in coming to government hospitals, that will raise the standards of the hospital. This initiative will automatically make private hospitals thrive to raise their standards and the overall healthcare will develop.
High expenses in private hospitals and the fact that not every treatment available in government hospitals.If available treatment quality differs.Corruption is also prevalent in health sector
Universal healthcare is not just about providing access to healthcare facilities, affordability, health policies and its implementation. Acceptance of advancement in clinical areas and recognition of underpayment of healthcare professional is one huge challenge. Modern healthcare is evolving with evidence based clinical practise roles like clinical pharmacists, specialised nursing care and clinical nutritionists(very few to mention).
What is Clinical Pharmacy?
Clinical pharmacy is a health science discipline in which pharmacists provide patient care that optimizes medication therapy and promotes health, wellness, and disease prevention.It blends a caring orientation with specialized therapeutic knowledge, experience, and judgement for the purpose of ensuring optimal patient outcomes. https://www.accp.com/stunet/compass/definition.aspx
Clinical Pharmacist play a key role in optimising therapy, preventing DRPs and improving medication safety. Unfortunately, such roles are not accepted in the healthcare system of India resulting in patient not getting benefited from collaborative, multidisciplinary healthcare.
Underpaid HCPs struggle with low morale, job dissatisfaction, thus resulting in transition of hcps from clinical to non clinical roles. This creates shortage of trained staff affecting the quality, accessibility and continuity of patient care - A Fundamental Goal of Universal Healthcare.
Shouldn’t we first start by respecting, and fairly compensating every healthcare professional contributing to that vision?
My Perspective in this like there are many barrier like private hospitals are so much expensive and treatment, tests and fees they are costly and otherside if we see government hospital they are just providing basic treatment and this is also a barrier and sometimes in government medicine also not work properly in peoples and also there is not proper facilities
One of the biggest barriers to achieving universal healthcare in India is unequal access to quality healthcare. People living in cities often have better hospitals, doctors, and facilities, while those in rural or remote areas struggle to find even basic care. Many families cannot afford private treatment, and public hospitals are often overcrowded and underfunded. To truly achieve “Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures,” we need to bridge this gap—by improving healthcare infrastructure, training more health workers, and making affordable care available to every corner of the country.
The biggest barrier in achieving universal healthcare in India is inadequate public healthcare infrastructure and improper utilization of funding. This leads to over reliance on private services, high out of pocket expenses, and unequal access especially in rural and underprivileged areas.
Poor infrastructure in government hospitals and expensive treatments at private hospitals, making it a barrier in achieving universal healthcare in India.
