Abstract

Healthcare in India is undergoing changes to meet the demands of citizens from villages to metropolitan city level. The National Health policy announced in 2017 is focused on "wellness" of patients and guarantees healthcare with suitable insurance coverage from primary to tertiary care. Ayushman Bharat Mission is a policy that promotes healthcare with a center-state cooperation. Program Indra Dhanush aims to cover immunization of children in rural and urban areas including those who were not covered in the previous program like Pulse Polio. In general healthcare is to provide and promote quality care, focus on emerging diseases and invest in promoting and preventive healthcare. The policy is patient centric and quality driven. It addresses health security and making drugs and devices free for use in India. Yet the Healthcare policy and its implementation face many hurdles in the form of funds, primary care, doctor-patient ratio, and communication. With the focus being shifted more on non-communicable diseases from infectious diseases, the centers for testing of various infectious diseases and viral diseases have taken a back seat. This is very relevant today when the world is reeling under the pandemic threat of Coronavirus disease. India reported its Tirst case of COVID-19 on 30 January 2020. The Indian Council of Medical Research and Ministry of Health and Family welfare have reported nearly 640 active cases, 66 cured cases and 17 deaths in the country. The rate of infection for COVID-19 is 1.7. India has declared a lock down for the whole country for 21 days. The COVID-19 poses a great challenge to India to treat COVID-19 positive cases as it needs more ventilators and other facilities with a population of around 1.3 billion people. The present pandemic may help reduce the gap to implement its National Health Policy.