Accessing Healthcare Justice through Ayushman Bharat: Evaluating India’s Path Toward Universal Health Coverage

Arpit Yadav; Dr. Vipin Kumar

doi:10.53724/lrd/v10n3.6

Authors

Arpit Yadav Research Scholar & Assistant Professor, Department of Law, Bareilly College, Bareilly, Affiliated to MJP Rohilkhand University, Bareilly, U.P., India. https://orcid.org/0009-0000-3264-7755
Dr. Vipin Kumar Ph.D. Supervisor & Assistant Professor, Department of Law, Bareilly College, Bareilly, Affiliated to MJP Rohilkhand University, Bareilly, U.P., India. https://orcid.org/0009-0008-5648-6122

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53724/lrd/v10n3.6

Keywords:

Ayushman Bharat, Healthcare justice, Universal Health Coverage, right to health, social equity, public policy, Indian Constitution, Health governance, Human rights, Health law

Abstract

Health is the right of every human being and is a means to social justice. Access to basic health care service is an issue of inequity for a long time, due to socio-economic disadvantage and disparity in resources across the regions of India. The scheme Ayushman Bharat, launched in 2018, is a game-changer policy intervention to ensure health care services are accessible and financially protected for the marginalised groups and for the achievement of Universal Health Coverage (UHC). In this paper the author discusses the legal, constitutional and policy dimensions of Ayushman Bharat and its potential as a catalyst to increase the access to healthcare as envisioned in Articles 21 and 47 of the Indian Constitution. This analysis appraises the worth of the design, regulatory issues, and results of the plan in enhancing justice in healthcare. It does so, in part, through its analysis of key issues related to infrastructure, funding and supervision of the private sector, and through recommendations to strengthen that ignited framework primarily through the legal formalisation and public governance. The paper concludes that Ayushman Bharat is a positive step towards making health care a right and not a privilege and India step closer towards the SDG “Health for all”.

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