NSO survey highlights improved healthcare access across India

The National Statistical Survey Office (NSO) survey on household social consumption on health has highlighted transformative progress in India’s healthcare system.

It has indicated a significant increase in healthcare access across the country, supported by targeted government interventions, expansion of public health services, and increased insurance coverage.

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Covering both rural and urban areas across the country, the survey canvassed 1,39,732 households including 76,296 in rural areas and 63,436 in urban areas thereby offering robust, ground-level insights into healthcare access, affordability, and utilisation patterns.

The findings of the NSO 80th round are underpinned by the government’s sustained increase in public investment in the health sector over the years. Enhanced budgetary allocations have enabled significant expansion of healthcare infrastructure across primary, secondary, and tertiary levels, strengthened human resources, and supported the scaling up of key initiatives focused on preventive, promotive, and curative care.

This continued prioritisation of health in public expenditure has been instrumental in improving access, enhancing service delivery, and reducing the financial burden of healthcare on households across the country.

The median Out-of-Pocket Medical Expenditure (OOPE) per hospitalisation case in 2025 has been recorded to be at Rs.11285 indicating that in over half of the hospitalisations in the country, relatively low expenditure is incurred.

The report further adds that only a small number of high-cost cases have been observed to push up the average (mean value). This shows that high expenditure is not widespread but limited to specific cases requiring specialised treatment. Moreover, the OOPE in more than half of the entire hospitalisation cases in the public health facilities incur only Rs. 1100.

Importantly, for non-hospitalisation (outpatient) care, the median OOPE in public health facilities is Zero, reflecting that a large proportion of citizens are able to access essential healthcare services entirely free of cost.

The government’s Free Drugs Service Initiative (FDSI) and Free Diagnostics Initiative (FDI) launched in 2015 have ensured availability of free medicines and diagnostic services to people even in the remotest areas of the country.

This paradigm shift in primary and essential healthcare accessibility is also aided by over 1.84 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAMs) situated across the country and significantly expanding the scope of comprehensive primary healthcare by delivering preventive, promotive, and curative services closer to communities. These centres are also leveraging digital health innovations to improve access.