The Hindu Editorial Analysis
10 December 2025
Charting an Agenda on the Right to Health
(Source – The Hindu, International Edition – Page No. – 8)
Topic : GS Paper II – Health, Governance, Social Justice | GS Paper IV – Ethics in Public Administration
Context
Timed between Human Rights Day (Dec 10) and Universal Health Coverage Day (Dec 12), the National Convention on Health Rights (Dec 11–12, 2025) brings together health activists, civil society, and professionals to deliberate on India’s progress and challenges in realising the constitutional right to health.
The convention seeks to move beyond tokenism by focusing on systemic public health reforms, regulation of private healthcare, and justice for health workers and vulnerable groups.
1. Challenging the Privatization Trend
- A key concern is the privatisation of public health services under the banner of Public–Private Partnerships (PPPs).
- Expansion of PPPs in medical education and health infrastructure risks commercialisation and inequitable access, making healthcare unaffordable for millions.
- States like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra have seen private corporations gain control over hospitals and diagnostic networks with weak accountability mechanisms.
- Despite the Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act (2010), implementation remains patchy, allowing price gouging, opaque billing, and violation of patient rights.
UPSC Angle:
Privatisation without adequate regulation violates Article 21 (Right to Life), which includes the Right to Health, as affirmed in Paschim Banga Khet Mazdoor Samity vs State of West Bengal (1996).
2. Public Health Expenditure and Affordability
- India allocates only 2% of its Union Budget to health—among the lowest globally.
- Per capita public spending (~$25 annually) forces citizens to rely heavily on out-of-pocket expenses, leading to catastrophic health expenditure for poor families.
- The convention calls for:
- Enhanced public investment,
- Transparent regulatory frameworks, and
- Standardised pricing mechanisms for medical services.
- Advocates seek progressive taxation and social health insurance models that reduce financial vulnerability.
Fact to Remember (Prelims):
As per the National Health Accounts 2022, out-of-pocket expenditure in India is 48.2% of total health spending—far above the WHO-recommended 15–20%.
3. Justice for Health Workers
- The COVID-19 pandemic exposed systemic neglect of frontline health workers — doctors, nurses, and ASHA workers.
- Many still face low wages, insecure employment, and absence of social protection.
- The convention demands:
- Enactment of occupational safety laws,
- Regularisation of contractual health workers, and
- Strengthening of workforce planning through National Health Mission (NHM).
- With nearly 50% of household medical costs spent on medicines, the need for price caps and rational drug use remains urgent.
UPSC Note:
This aligns with the “One Health Approach” under India’s National Health Policy (2017), which emphasises workforce stability, primary care, and inter-sectoral coordination.
4. Equity, Inclusion, and Non-Discrimination
- Entrenched social hierarchies perpetuate inequities in health access.
- The convention foregrounds the experiences of Dalits, Adivasis, LGBTQ+ persons, women, and people with disabilities, urging inclusive and gender-sensitive health systems.
- Sessions on food security, environmental pollution, and climate change highlight social determinants of health.
- It stresses that health justice cannot be achieved without dismantling discrimination in healthcare delivery.
UPSC Lens:
This links to SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities)—both central to India’s G20 commitments on inclusive development.
5. Strengthening Public Health as a Right
- The convention reaffirms the need to view health as a legal right—not a welfare entitlement.
- It advocates codifying the Right to Health Act at the national level, drawing lessons from Rajasthan’s 2022 legislation.
- Emphasises community-led models and decentralised public systems with accountability to citizens.
- Strong public health provisioning is seen as the foundation for universal and equitable care.
Conclusion
“Health is not a commodity—it is a constitutional right.”
Dr. Abhay Shukla argues that India’s health system must be anchored in public accountability and social justice.
He envisions a universal, equitable, and rights-based health framework, driven by enhanced public investment, worker dignity, and inclusion of the most marginalised.
For India to achieve Ayushman Bharat in its truest sense, the focus must shift from profit-oriented healthcare to people-centred health governance.