Assessing the Adequacy of Health Facilities for the Aging Population in Indian Cities

Objectives The healthcare system in India is struggling to meet the needs of the current population, and the rising aging population is likely to exacerbate this problem. Therefore, this study tried to investigate the distribution of the older population’s access to improved health facilities in Indian cities. Methods The study uses data from the 2011 Census of India, which is the latest census round. An index was developed to understand the available health facilities and a geospatial approach was adopted to understand the aging pattern and access to health facilities across Indian cities. Results Despite similar aging scenarios, health infrastructure was not equally distributed across cities. The study revealed that advanced health facilities were more concentrated in specific pockets, particularly in metropolitan cities, while smaller cities lacked good health facilities and were not easily accessible. Discussion The results highlight the infrastructure gap in Indian cities which poses a significant challenge in achieving healthy aging.