India has never spent more than 2% of its GDP on healthcare. And healthcare facilities across the country straddle several levels of efficiency and sufficiency. The infrastructure facilities and services are at best patchy. While States such as Kerala and Tamil Nadu fare better, the impact of a virulent COVID-19 has shaken even the States that traditionally have done well.
With COVID-19 having put the country’s heathcare system to the test, Dr. Abhay Shukla , national convener of the Jan Swasthya Abhiyan and Senior Program Coordinator of Sathi; and Prof. T. Sundararaman , former executive director, National Health Systems Resource Center, and global co-ordinator of the People’s Health Movement discuss whether the time is ripe to push the agenda of healthcare as a fundamental right for all citizens.
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