Giving Compass' Take:

• Nachiket Mor' explains why we must shed misconceptions about government financing in order to achieve universal healthcare in India.

• How do roadblocks to universal healthcare in India manifest across several other countries? What can we do to promote the importance and plausibility of universal healthcare in India and other nations?

• Learn about how you can help the healthcare system in India during the coronavirus.

Universal healthcare (UHC) is an important global goal because of its close links to poverty reduction and enhancement of the growth potential of countries. While several countries can now be said to be well on their way towards achieving this goal, several others, most notably large ones such as India and Nigeria, are decidedly not. Though there are a number of reasons for this, perhaps the most important one has been the position taken by the international development community that an essential prerequisite for beginning work on UHC is government financing of all health expenditures through taxes.

This position is untenable because these governments prefer to spend on other development priorities. They also have a low tax base, as a high proportion of the working-age population is employed in the informal sector. As a result, these governments have, for decades, either been unable or unwilling to provide the necessary financial resources for UHC. This has meant that not only has there been no progress on UHC, but there has perhaps even been a regression away from it.

Given these realities, it becomes important—now more than ever—to find a way forward that is not only feasible, but also one that can benefit from increased government allocations to health whenever they become available, without being held hostage to it. There are many different pathways to achieving this, and this article proposes one that could have the potential to add value to citizens in the short-run, even if it does not immediately address all of the underlying issues, such as high out-of-pocket expenditures.

Read the full article about universal healthcare in India by Nachiket Mor at India Development Review.