Healthcare Equity in Urban India

A report “Healthcare equity in urban India” was released by Azim Premji University in collaboration with 17 regional NGOs across India.

• It 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.

Major Highlights: Rising Urban Population: A third of India’s population lives in urban areas. This segment seeing a rapid growth from about 18% (1960) to 28.53% (2001) and 34% (in 2019).

• Urban Poor: Close to 30% of people living in urban areas are poor.
• Life Expectancy: Among the poorest, life expectancy is lower by 9.1 years (men) and 6.2 years (women) compared to the richest in urban areas.
• Urban Health Governance: Besides disproportionate disease burden on the poor, there is chaotic urban health governance - the multiplicity of healthcare providers both within and outside the Government without coordination are challenges to urban health governance.
• Financial Burden: There is a heavy financial burden on the poor and less investment in healthcare by urban local bodies.A report “Healthcare equity in urban India” was released by Azim Premji University in collaboration with 17 regional NGOs across India.