India needs political will to handle its many health crises

§ 2026 begins, India’s health sector faces formidable challenges.

- KAVITA BAJELI-DATT @New Delhi

The main priorities include improving health infrastructure, addressing shortages of medical staff in rural and remote areas, and tackling the rising disease burden that strains the public health system.

Although some progress was made in 2025, India now requires new technologies, evidence-based treatment guidelines, affordable healthcare, and sustained efforts to promote prevention and healthy living. The country continues to fight infectious diseases such as TB, dengue, and malaria, while also seeing a fast rise in noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

Air pollution continues to pose a serious health threat. Delhi and many other Indian cities often rank among the world’s most polluted, particularly for PM2.5, a fine-particle pollutant. The 2025 Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change report said PM2.5 pollution caused over 17 lakh deaths in India in 2022, with petrol use for road transport linked to 2.69 lakh of these deaths.

Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, former president of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Cochin, says that fine particles and chemicals in polluted air can harm many organs. This can lead to high blood pressure, strokes, heart attacks, COPD, asthma in adults, preterm births, and stunted lung growth in children.