A key component of achieving universal health coverage is ensuring that all populations have access to quality health care. As per the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016 (GBD 2016) to assess personal health-care access and quality with the Healthcare Access and Quality (HAQ) Index for 195 countries, India ranks 145th among 195 countries in terms of quality and accessibility of healthcare, behind its neighbors like China, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Bhutan, according to a Lancet study. It lags behind neighbors China, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Bhutan but is ahead of Nepal, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The Global Burden of Disease study, however, mentioned that India has seen improvements in healthcare access and quality since 1990. In 2016, India’s healthcare access and quality scored at 41.2 (up from 24.7 in 1990). “Although India’s improvements on the…
