India on the Path to Universal Health Coverage-Progress Compared with Other Emerging Economies of BRICS and ASEAN-5

Background: India has shown remarkable progress on several health parameters and a political will to usher in Universal Health Coverage (UHC) framework as defined by the global sustainable development goal 3.8. Given myriad challenges of a fast-growing economy with a massive population, how India fares on this goal is important not just for the country but also has implications at the global level. This research is a comparative analysis of progress made by India towards UHC vs. peer economies from BRICS and ASEAN-5. Materials and Methods: Three performance indicators were selected through a comprehensive review of research in the area, namely SCI (Service Coverage Index) for “access”, HAQ (Health Access and Quality) for “outcome”, and UHC index for a composite indicator of “access and financial protection”. In addition, financial protection parameters of out-of-pocket expenditures and consequent impoverishment were also considered. These indices measure distinct aspect of UHC, but none covers the full spectrum of success criteria, hence we used cross-tabulation technique for a holistic comparison. Results: Despite significant progress on various health indicators, India lags behind its peer economies of BRICS and ASEAN-5 in achieving UHC goal. A deficit in infrastructure and trained health-workforce continues to undermine efforts to provide healthcare to all, complicated further by inequitable distribution of these resources. Conclusion: Pharmacists have an important role in improving access to healthcare by playing a more active role in preventative care, patient counselling and disease management, thus supporting India’s ambitious journey towards achieving UHC for its over 1.3 billion citizens.