India needs more focus to reach SDG 3, a crucial goal

Why in the News ?

• India secured its best-ever rank (99 of 167) in the SDG Index 2025, moving up from 109 in 2024.
• Despite progress, the SDG 3 goal – “Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages” – shows significant gaps, especially in rural and tribal areas.
• Rahul Mehra (UNESCO Chair for Global Health & Education, India) argues for prioritising universal health care and compulsory school health education.
  

Background

• Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3) includes targets on:
  • Reducing maternal and child mortality
  • Achieving universal health coverage (UHC)
  • Reducing premature deaths from non-communicable diseases
  • Strengthening health financing and the workforce
• India has achieved near-universal immunisation and improvements in access to basic services.
• However, the country is off-track on several SDG 3 indicators.

Feature

Current Status of Key Indicators:

• Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR): 97/100,000 live births (Target: 70)
• Under-five mortality: 32/1,000 (Target: 25)
• Life expectancy: 70 years (Target: 73.63)
• Out-of-pocket expenditure: 13% of consumption (Target: 7.83%)
• Immunisation coverage: 93.23% (Target: 100%)
• Barriers:
  Inadequate infrastructure in rural and tribal regions
• High out-of-pocket costs despite schemes like Ayushman Bharat
• Poor nutrition, sanitation, and lifestyle issues
• Cultural stigma about physical and mental health

Three-pronged Strategy Suggested:

• Universal Health Insurance – to reduce catastrophic health spending and enhance equity.
• Strengthening Primary Health Care – ensure high-quality PHCs, coordinate with secondary & tertiary care, and integrate digital health tools (telemedicine, electronic records).
• Health Education in Schools – teach nutrition, hygiene, reproductive health, mental health, and road safety to shape lifelong habits.

International Lessons:

• Finland (1970s): School-based health lessons helped cut cardiovascular diseases.
• Japan: Compulsory health education linked to longer life expectancy and better hygiene.

Challenge

• Persistent health inequalities between rural/urban and rich/poor.
• Slow progress on maternal and child mortality and life expectancy.
• High out-of-pocket expenditure and weak financial protection.
• Limited human resources and infrastructure in health sector.
• Lack of systematic health education, leading to low awareness and unhealthy behaviours.

Way Forward

Universal Health Coverage:

• Expand Ayushman Bharat and state insurance schemes to all citizens.
• Monitor quality of care and rationalise costs.

Primary Health System Reform

• Upgrade PHCs into Health and Wellness Centres with trained staff, diagnostics, and telemedicine support.
• Integrate mental health and NCD screening at the primary level.

Embed Health Education:

• Make compulsory health education part of NEP-aligned school curricula.
• Focus on behavioural change, not just knowledge.

Community Engagement:

• Empower parents and local communities to monitor curricula and push for health topics.
• Use mass media to combat stigma and promote healthy lifestyles.

Monitoring & Data:

• Track SDG 3 targets through periodic surveys, state-wise dashboards, and district-level planning.

Conclusion

India’s improved SDG ranking is encouraging but masks serious gaps in health outcomes. Accelerated progress on SDG 3 requires a dual focus:

• Robust health-care systems (insurance, PHCs, digital tools)
• Preventive health education to inculcate lifelong healthy habits.

Embedding health education in schools, alongside universal health coverage, can be a game-changer in achieving SDG 3 and building a “Viksit Bharat” by 2047.