Context: In an alarming report, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that women in India can expect to live on an average a healthy life spanning just over 60 years untouched by disabling illness or injuries and it is the lowest among 11 countries in WHO’s South East Asia region.
Key highlights of the report

• Females in India can on average expect to live just over 60 years of a healthy life unhampered by disabling illness or injuries.
• It is the lowest healthy life expectancy among 11 countries in the World Health Organisation's South East Asia region.
• For men, there are just two countries in this region, Timor-Leste and Myanmar, that are worse off in terms of healthy life expectancy.
• The mortality rate of children under five years is the highest in Timor-Leste and Myanmar being again even worse off than India.
• In the countries with the best performance in the region, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Maldives.
• Health expenditure as a share of total government expenditure is among the highest in the region.
• Estimated share of spending on health in total government spending is the lowest in India (3.4%), Bangladesh (3%) and Myanmar (3.5).
• Consequently, in these three countries, out-of-pocket expenditure, that is people spending from their own savings constitutes between 63% in India and 76% in Myanmar compared to just 11% in Thailand.
• Bangladesh and India also have the highest proportion of their population, 7% and 4.2% respectively, being pushed into poverty because of having to spend on healthcare.
• They also have the highest proportions of people who spent more than 10% of their household's total expenditure on healthcare, a situation that is described as catastrophic health expenditure.
• Almost a quarter of the population in Bangladesh and over 17% in India are estimated to face catastrophic expenditure due to healthcare.
• Some people were able to "live healthier lives and have better access to health services than others - entirely due to the conditions in which they are born, grow, live, work and age.

What is Universal Health Coverage?

• Universal health coverage (UHC) ensures all people, everywhere, can access the quality health services they need without suffering financial hardship.
• It is a fundamentally political goal rooted in the human right to health.
• On 12 December 2017, the United Nations proclaimed 12 December as International Universal Health Coverage Day (UHC Day) by resolution 72/138.
• UHC strategies enable everyone to access the services that address the most significant causes of disease and death and ensures that the quality of those services is good enough to improve the health of the people who receive them.

SDGs:

• Achieving UHC will accelerate efforts to end extreme poverty, reduce burdens of infectious and noncommunicable diseases, promote economic growth and job creation, achieve gender equality and realize all Sustainable Development Goals.