Q. Consider the following statements:
1.Universal health coverage (UHC) represents the goal of ensuring that all individuals have access to comprehensive, high-quality health services without suffering financial hardship.
2.India’s Constitutional provisions do not provide a basis for the right to health.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
Explanation –
Statement 1 is correct. Universal health coverage (UHC) is defined as ensuring that all people can use the promotive, preventive, curative, rehabilitative, and palliative health services they need, of sufficient quality to be effective, while also ensuring that the use of these services does not expose the user to financial hardship. UHC involves coverage with good health services across the full sectors of essential health services, as well as financial risk protection, aiming for coverage to be for everyone.
Statement 2 is incorrect. While the Constitution of India does not expressly guarantee a fundamental right to health, various provisions under the Constitution provide a basis for the right to health. The Directive Principles of State Policy, particularly Articles 38, 39, 42, 43, and 47, put the obligation on the state to ensure the effective realization of the right to health. Additionally, Article 21 of the Constitution, which guarantees the fundamental right to life and personal liberty, has been interpreted by the judiciary to include the right to health as inherent to a life with dignity.
Source: The Hindu
