Countering the Imbalance in Healthcare Financing - A Study of Karunya Benevolent Fund

The health sector challenges in India, like those in other low- and middle-income countries, are formidable. Public spending on medical, public health, and family welfare in India is much below what is required. Further, the gap between the actual spending and the required amount is larger in the relatively low-income states and this results in marked inter-state inequality.

The aim of this paper is to analyze the growing health care expenditure and Kerala government's effort to reduce out of pocket expenditure through the Karunya Scheme.