In defining universal health coverage, the World Health Organisation (WHO) imagines a world where everyone, everywhere, has access to all the health services they might ever need - and is able to receive it efficiently and affordably. While a lot of us do not have to imagine - having the privilege of access to reliable healthcare is a reality we are blessed with - 400 million Indians have to get creative. The gross disparity of access to healthcare in India raises the question of when and how a right became a privilege. While India’s Interim budget increase of 12.59% to over 90658 crores dedicated towards healthcare for the year 2024-2025 is promising, there remains a myriad of challenges millions in the country face. An overwhelming 9 out of 10 Indians suffer from a lack of health literacy, whether it is knowledge of health insurance or beneficial health-related government schemes. A scarcity of hospitals pushes thousands to travel 100s of kilometers, just to get treatment for a disease. An overworked healthcare system with a lack of qualified doctors means many people are told their next appointment is for next year. A low quality of healthcare in government hospitals forces more than half of rural Indians to choose private healthcare instead, an option fourfold more expensive - and one which costs the poorest 20% of the population more than 15 times their monthly expenditure. Clearly, without fixing the problem of dismal public health in India, other problems like poverty cannot be amended, and will, surely, be worsened. These problems are not unique to India, though - Papua New Guinea, Afghanistan and Chad (to name a few) also suffer from poor hygiene practices and a lack of infrastructure. If these issues persist across the world, why are governments consistently spending less on health? While India’s ongoing journey to success in the health sector has so far been characterised by many downs and fewer ups, CareforAll longs to make the silver lining a bit clearer. By collaboration with prominent hospitals (such as Sparsh Hospital and Ramaiah Medical College) in Bangalore, as well as engaging compassionate student volunteers, CareforAll has been able to conduct thorough medical camps— including health checkups and deworming camps— thereby providing support to hundreds of underprivileged families at no monetary cost. NGOs have also helped connect CareforAll to migrants - an often overlooked group - and a partnership with the Lending Library organization has allowed CareforAll to donate age-appropriate books for children to enjoy. Awareness being the first step for good health is gospel in CareforAll’s eyes. In light of this, we have hosted multiple sessions aimed at informing children and adults about the important topics of sanitation, hand washing, as well as informing and registering families for government schemes with direct monetary benefits they may be oblivious to. Of course, running an organisation is not cost-free. Support from collaborating hospitals, crowdfunding, and hosting fundraiser events allow CareforAll to raise the money it needs to continue working and purchase things like medicine, ensuring there is no burden on the people we are dedicated to helping. Already having hosted over 6 health camps and impacted more than 850 lives, CareforAll is empowered to do so much more. By spreading awareness and directly impacting people - through both the provision of aid and mobilising volunteers for camps - CareforAll’s mission is to inspire a greater number of people to care about health. With new information about their status of health, those whom CareforAll has interacted with may choose to make positive lifestyle changes - whether it is being more physically active or sanitising their homes more regularly - enabling them to lead a better quality of life. While the issues India experiences in the health sector are complex - further intensified and convoluted by the diverse population - CareforAll appreciates these challenges and strives to find stable solutions. By Sandhya Sundar
