Jan Aushadi Scheme: A crucial step towards achieving health equity

Abstract

Health Equity is a widely acknowledged policy objective for all responsible governments around the world. Equity refers to “equal access to available care for equal need, equal utilization for equal need, and equal quality of care for all” (Whitehead, 1992). Simply put, Health Equity is about ensuring that every person has the chance to be as healthy as possible. In this context, access to affordable medicines becomes a crucial component towards attaining equity, as even today, drugs constitute a high proportion of out-of-pocket (OOP) expenses, often causing untold financial hardships for most households.