Need ₹3.56 lakh crore more every year for healthcare
India's healthcare system is facing a huge funding gap—₹2.25 lakh crore more every year is needed for service delivery, plus a ₹1.31 lakh crore infrastructure shortfall (totaling ₹3.56 lakh crore) to meet basic standards, says a new government-backed study.
Most of this would go toward improving services and building better infrastructure.
Some states are struggling more than others
Some states are struggling more than others: Uttar Pradesh alone makes up over 16% of service shortfalls, while Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and West Bengal together account for over half the infrastructure gaps.
People still pay nearly half their medical costs out-of-pocket
Even though government spending on health has gone up (1.84% of GDP in 2021-22), people still pay nearly half their medical costs out-of-pocket.
The latest budget bump isn't enough to hit national targets, and many community health centers lack specialists and key staff—meaning care can be hard to access when you need it most.