What to Read in The Hindu Editorial( Topic and Syllabus wise)

Editorial 1: Integrating compassion, prioritising palliative care

Context

This type of special care doesn’t get enough money or use in India, leaving millions of people without the help they need.

Introduction

In India, millions suffer needlessly, highlighting the urgent need to include palliative care in the healthcare system. Palliative care helps bring comfort and dignity to people facing life-threatening illnesses. However, even though it is known to be effective, it still receives very little funding and is not widely used, leaving many without the care they truly need.

Urgent Need to Integrate Palliative Care into India’s Healthcare System

• Palliative careis a special kind of care that looks after a person’s physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs.
• Unlike treatments that try to cure diseases, palliative care aims to relieve pain, reduce suffering, and improve quality of lifefor both patients and their families.
• As per the World Health Organization (WHO), around 40 million peopleworldwide need palliative care each year, with 78% of them living in low- and middle-income countries.
• Shockingly, only 14%of people who need this care actually receive it.
• In India, about 7 to 10 million peopleneed palliative care each year, but only 1% to 2% get access to it.
• This shows a huge gapand highlights the urgent need for strong policies and better healthcare planning.
• The demand for palliative care is rising because of the increase in non-communicable diseases (NCDs)like cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory illnesses.
• India’s already overstretched healthcare systemneeds to include palliative care to help reduce unnecessary hospital visits and ease the emotional and financial stress on families.

The challenges in India

Aspect	Explanation
Policy Inclusion	The 2017 National Health Policy included palliative care, which was a major step in addressing the care gap.
Recent Developments	Efforts like training programs, community outreach, and global partnerships have helped develop the field.
Current Access	Access to palliative care is still limited, especially in rural areas and among the poor. Around 7.2 million people in India need it every year, but system issues block proper delivery.
Manpower Challenges	A shortage of trained palliative care professionals is a big issue. Most doctors do not have the necessary special training in pain and end-of-life care.
Doctor-Population Ratio	India has a doctor-population ratio of 1:834, better than the WHO norm of 1:1000, but very few are trained in palliative care.
Funding and Infrastructure	Low funding and weak infrastructure make the situation worse. Palliative care is present in primary health care but is not well integrated into higher-level hospitals.
Public Awareness	Many people still do not know what palliative care is, which causes delays and misunderstandings in getting help.

 

Linking it with medical education

Aspect	Explanation
Medical Training	Strengthening doctors’ ability to provide palliative care, especially in underserved areas, is essential.
Curriculum Integration	Including palliative care in MBBS courses is crucial to build both skills and empathy for end-of-life care.
Ongoing Initiatives	Programmes by ICMR and AIIMS show some progress in promoting pain and palliative care.
Task-Shifting Strategy	Due to a lack of specialists, task-shifting (training nurses and health workers to take on key roles) is a practical solution.
Workforce Potential	India has 34.33 lakh registered nurses and 13 lakh allied health professionals. With targeted training, they can provide holistic care, especially in rural and low-resource settings.
Policy Support	Policymakers need to see long-term benefits of investing in palliative care—better outcomes and reduced health system pressure.
Funding and Infrastructure	Governments should provide dedicated funding and ensure all facilities (public and private) have proper infrastructure for palliative care.
Insurance Inclusion	Schemes like Ayushman Bharat should cover palliative care services to reduce financial burden on patients.
Role of NGOs and Private Sector	Partnerships with NGOs and private hospitals can speed up the spread and availability of palliative care facilities.

Raising public awareness

• Public awareness campaignscan help clear misunderstandings about palliative care and promote early access to services.
• Many people don’t realise that palliative care is not just for the end of life— it also includes pain relief, emotional support, and better quality of life during serious illnesses.
• Educating communitiesabout these benefits can increase demand for services and lead to better policies.
• In the United States, palliative care is supported by strong funding, insurance coverage, and a hospice care system.
• The U.S. model shows how investing in end-of-life careleads to high-quality, patient-centered care, even though it requires significant spending.
• Indiacan learn from this model but must adjust it to fit its own cultural, economic, and demographic
• Ongoing researchand using evidence-based methods are key to improving how care is given and ensuring better patient outcomes.

Conclusion

Bringing palliative care into India’s healthcare system is now essential. To make real change, India needs a broad strategy that focuses on a few key areas. First, it must build capacity by training more healthcare workers and improving services. Second, palliative care should be included in medical education, so future doctors are prepared to give this kind of care. Third, it’s important to train and support allied health professionals like nurses and health workers who can help provide this care. Lastly, India must fix larger system issues such as low funding, poor infrastructure, and lack of public awareness. Taken together, these steps can greatly improve end-of-life care for millions across the country.

 

Editorial 2: Rephasing global development finance

Context

With geopolitical complexities affecting global development finance, a solution lies in evolving a mechanism of pooling resources with like-minded countries

Introduction

India’s development cooperation with the Global South has been growing steadily over the past several years. The country has worked to broaden its partnerships and has nearly doubled its support, increasing from about $3 billion in 2010–11 to around $7 billion in 2023–24. While efforts like training programmes, technology sharing, and duty-free access to Indian markets have played an important role, the main tool used has been the Lines of Credit (LoC) provided under the Indian Development and Economic Assistance Scheme (IDEAS).

India’s Evolving Development Cooperation Strategy: Key Highlights

Aspect	Details
Budget Signals	The 2025–26 budget shows a clear warning from the Ministry of Finance against relying on credit lines as a main form of international engagement.
India’s G-20 Stand	At the G-20, India raised concerns about rising sovereign debt in the Global South, urging for caution and reform.
Global Development Compact (GDC)	During the Voice of Global South Summit (VoGS) 2024, PM Modi proposed a Global Development Compact, calling for a balanced approach in development partnerships.
Five Modalities of Engagement	India promotes five key methods of cooperation: capacity building, technology transfer, market access, grants, and concessional finance.
Need for Balance	India should aim for a harmonious mix of these methods and build stronger partnerships with countries that can help implement projects in third countries.
Revisiting Lines of Credit (LoCs)	India used to raise funds from global capital markets and provide concessional loans to partner countries, covering the interest gap through government support.
LoCs Losing Relevance	Due to the global liquidity crisis and weaker repayment ability of partner countries, such LoC-based schemes have become less viable.
Strategic Shift Needed	India should now adapt to the changing financial reality and explore new and sustainable models for global engagement.

Shrinking ODA and debt crisis

• ODA Crisis: Traditional Official Development Assistance (ODA)providers are facing budget cuts, while many Global South countries are struggling with a debt crisis.
• Falling Development Finance: Due to rising geopolitical tensions, the overall flow of development financeworldwide is sharply declining.
• Agency Collapse: The collapse of USAIDand the decline of the UK’s FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) highlight the deepening crisis in global development funding.
• ODA Reduction: Global ODA is expected to fall to around $97 billion, which is nearly a 45% dropfrom the $214 billion level in 2023.
• OECD DAC’s Role: The OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC), long seen as an elite group, has historically set the rulesfor aid and development programs in the Global South.
• Impact on Poor Nations: This shrinking aidis expected to severely impact development projects, especially in least developed countries already facing high debt burdens.
• Multiple Crises: Over the past two decades, repeated crisesand global shifts have made it harder for developing nations to get funding, threatening their development goals.
• SDG Financing Gap: The investment needed to reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)has risen from $2.5 trillion in 2015 to over $4 trillion in 2024.
• Risks to SDGs: Without more funding, progress on SDGs — already delayed by COVID-19and other global shocks — will be extremely difficult to achieve.
• Borrowing Difficulties: At the same time, borrowing moneyhas become more expensive and less stable, adding to the financial stress on developing countries.

Rationale for triangular cooperation

• Resource Pooling: A new model of pooling resourceswith like-minded countries offers a ray of hope for more effective development partnerships.
• Rising Non-DAC Contributions: Funding from 19 non-DAC countriesreporting to the OECD rose from $1.1 billion in 2000 to $17.7 billion in 2022, showing growing participation from emerging economies.
• South-South Experience: Countries like Indonesiaand Brazil have gained global experience by partnering with Japan and Germany to implement development projects in third countries.
• Japan-Indonesia Partnership: Japan and Indonesiahave jointly executed development programmes in several ASEAN nations, strengthening regional cooperation.
• Germany-Brazil Collaboration: Germany and Brazilhave partnered in Mozambique, working across multiple development sectors.
• Bridge Mechanism – TrC: Triangular Cooperation (TrC)is proving to be an effective model to bridge the gapbetween the Global North and South, fostering balanced partnerships.
• Inclusive Model: The strength of TrClies in its ability to bring together a traditional donor (Global North), a rising power (Global South), and a partner country (often also from the Global South), promoting shared learning, mutual respect, and customised solutions.
• Funding Estimates: While global TrC datais still being collected, initial estimates suggest funding flows range from $670 million to $1.1 billion, showing its growing relevance and success.

Partnerships with results

• Triangular Cooperation (TrC)has shown that investing in physical infrastructure can lead to social development.
  • For example, upgrading regional energy gridsnot only boosts digital connectivity but also opens up better access to education and healthcare
• In this context, in 2022, India and Germany signed a Joint Declaration of Intent to carry out TrC projects in third countries, during the sixth India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations.
• The focus is on regions like Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Since then, projects have been launched in countries such as Cameroon, Ghana, and Malawiin Africa, and in Peru in Latin America.

Conclusion

These efforts clearly show how global development finance can be redesigned to produce reliable and effective outcomes while keeping costs low. During India’s G-20 presidency, there was a strong push to deepen engagement in Triangular Cooperation (TrC), with increased partnerships involving countries like Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and France. These partnerships cover a wide range of sectors and models, including both grant-based projects and investment-led initiatives such as the Global Innovation Partnership (GIP)with the U.K. Together, they highlight how combining technical know-how, financial support, and skilled human resources can lead to impactful development outcomes in third countries.