Universal Healthcare
TDA

Context

Universal Healthcare (UHC) is a utopian system where every citizen, irrespective of income, gets quality medical care. It needs to start by making diagnostics accessible, affordable, and omnipresent.

About Universal Healthcare

It means that all people have access to all types of quality health services without financial challenges. 

Key components of UHC include Access to Care, Quality Services, and Financial Protection. India is committed to Universal Health Coverage (UHC), as outlined in the National Health Policy 2017 and the UN’s SDGs.

Universal Healthcare

Role of Diagnostics in Effective Healthcare

(a) Precise diagnosis is the priority for effective medical treatment. It depends on patient history, clinical examination, and lab tests to plan the initial assessment, mostly predicting disease development.

(b) Diagnostics play a critical role in clinical decisions internationally, from identifying diseases early to giving treatments and monitoring progress. In India, it receives less than five percent of total health expenditure.

(c) Timely and trustworthy diagnostic services ensure precise and early treatment, which saves lakhs of rupees and, yes, health too.

Current bottlenecks in Diagnosis

(i) Limited Access and Affordability: Diagnostics make an average of 12% of out-of-pocket health expenditure, especially in OPD. Most of the public health facilities lack basic diagnostic infrastructure. Private labs are so expensive that the majority of the population can’t afford them.

(ii) Poor Quality and Regulation: India has over 1 lakh labs, but less than two percent are accredited by the National Accreditation Board for testing and calibration laboratories. A lot of labs do not adhere to international standards and protocols, as well as auditing. Such diagnostics are misdiagnosed, which results in delayed treatment and unwanted drug use, giving rise to antimicrobial resistance.

(iii) Evolving Health Needs and Priority Areas: Shifting demographics and lifestyles have brought non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like diabetes and heart disease to the forefront, alongside persistent infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and malaria.

(iv) Fragmented Data and Digital Disconnect: Lack of integration between public and private diagnostic data systems undermines continuity of care. The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission’s goal is to bridge this chasm, but implementation is irregular.

(v) Workforce and Training Deficit: Many technicians are not properly trained in administring tests, quality control, and ethical practices. Also, a dearth of skilled personnel affects rural areas.

Initiatives of Government

(i) Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres: These centers provide frontline diagnostic services, for eg, glycated hemoglobin tests for diabetes and rapid tests for infectious diseases. The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) integrates diagnostics with electronic health records, enabling better data sharing and predictive care.

(ii) Vision 2035 by NITI Aayog: Emphasizes lab networks and surveillance systems as critical components of public health infrastructure.

(iii) G20 Health Working Group: Promotes decentralized manufacturing and local-level diagnostic strategies to ameliorate accessibility and affordability.

Innovations required

(i) Tele-diagnostics: Services like tele-radiology and tele-pathology improve expertise in clinics of rural areas and urban hospitals.

(ii) Point-of-Care Devices: Portable Diagnostic tools, extending reach in remote areas.

(iii) AI and Genomics: Advanced technologies are ameliorating diagnostic precision and ensuring personalized medicine.

(iv) Cost-Effectiveness and Evidence-Based Practice: Correct tests involve balancing accuracy and cost. ICMR plays a key role in developing diagnostic algorithms to guide healthcare providers on: Sequential vs. simultaneous testing, Cost–benefit trade-offs, and Maximum value per diagnostic step.

Roadmap for Diagnostics

(i) Public-Private Partnerships: Foster collaborations between public and private labs to set up low-cost diagnostic centers in remote areas.

(ii) Mobile Labs and Telemedicine: Leverage mobile diagnostic vans and connect remote consultations to reach remote populations.

(iii) Subsidies and Insurance Coverage: Include diagnostics in government health schemes like Ayushman Bharat, ensuring tests are covered and not just treatments.

(iv) Local Manufacturing: Invest in domestic production of diagnostic equipment and reagents to reduce dependency on imports and lower costs.

(v) Training and Workforce Development: Scale up training for lab technicians and radiologists, especially in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.

Conclusion

Accomplishing universal healthcare in India demands affordable diagnostics, available close to home, and equipped with trained personnel and efficient machines. By making the diagnostic backbone more robust through policy, technology, and training, India can surely achieve the milestone.