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Analysis and Health

India’s healthcare system falls short despite Modi’s improvements

More than 1.4 billion people live in India, giving its healthcare system a major role in planetary well-being. In the past 10 years, prime minister Narendra Modi has worked to improve India's healthcare, but there is still much work to be done

By Grace Wade

25 April 2024

A routine prenatal examination in Maharashtra, India

Mayur Kakade/Getty Images

As the most populous country on the planet, India’s healthcare policy shapes the well-being of more than 1.4 billion people. During Narendra Modi’s decade-long tenure as prime minister, the nation has started various public health initiatives, and yet its healthcare system still falls short of meeting needs.

Preventable illnesses like tuberculosis and diarrhoeal diseases remain leading causes of death there, and chronic conditions such as heart disease and cancer are rapidly rising. Can this be turned around?

Low healthcare spending is partly…

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