5 yrs since first lockdown: India needs to ramp up health spends

Five years ago, on March 25, 2020, India came to a standstill as the first nationwide lockdown was imposed to curb the spread of Covid.

- SHIKHA CHATURVEDI

The pandemic was an undeniable stress test for healthcare systems across the globe, exposing weaknesses and forcing nations to rethink their preparedness.

Five years later, it is time to assess whether India is better prepared for another public health crisis.

The Covid outbreak initially exposed India's healthcare vulnerabilities. Hospitals were overwhelmed, oxygen shortages turned deadly, and an overburdened workforce struggled to keep pace. However, the system geared up to the challenges later, particularly with its vaccination programme.

In the years that followed, government spending on healthcare has remained abysmally low.

Public health expenditure as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) rose from 1.2 per cent in 2019-20 to 1.5 per cent in 2021-22, only to fall again to 1.3 per cent in 2022-23.