Overview of New Health Coverage Plan
India has recently expanded its government health program to include free medical insurance for citizens aged 70 and above. This new initiative provides an annual coverage of 500,000 rupees (approximately $6,000) per family, fulfilling a key campaign promise made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Impact and Scope
The expanded coverage is expected to benefit an additional 60 million people, supplementing the 2018 healthcare initiative that already supports over half a billion citizens. This program is touted as the world’s largest healthcare scheme, offering free treatment for serious illnesses to economically disadvantaged families with the same annual coverage.
Government’s Health System Overhaul Efforts
This new measure is part of Modi’s broader strategy to overhaul India’s public health system, which currently faces a shortage of hospitals and doctors. Despite these significant initiatives, India’s healthcare spending has remained under 2% of GDP for the past decade, one of the lowest rates globally.
