Azim Premji University recently published a report on “Health Care Equity in Urban India” in collaboration with 17 regional NGOs in India.

Key Findings of the report

• Report explores health vulnerabilities and inequalities in cities across India.
• It also explores the availability, accessibility and cost of healthcare facilities, as well as possibilities in future-proofing services in next decade.
• Report highlights that, Life expectancy among the poorest is lower by 9.1 years among men and 6.2 years among women as against richest in urban areas.
• One third of India’s people are now living in urban areas. This segment is observing a rapid growth from about 18% in 1960 to 28.53% in 2001 and reaching to 34% in 2019.
• Around 30% of people living in urban areas are poor.
• It also finds a heavy financial burden on poor, and less investment by urban local bodies in healthcare.

About the study

• The report draws insights from data collected after detailed interactions with civil society organisations across cities and towns in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Lucknow, Surat, Ranchi, Guwahati, and Delhi.
• Data further include an analysis of ‘National Family & Health Surveys (NFHS)’, input from State-level health officials in health care provision and Census of India.
• This report finds disproportionate disease burden on poor and also pointed towards a chaotic urban health governance.