The Indian government will pay for health care for around 500 million of its poorest citizens. “This will be the world’s largest government-funded healthcare programme,” India’s Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told parliament in his budget speech.

The National Health Protection Mission will give impoverished families health insurance coverage of up to $7,100 every year. This may not seem a lot by western standards, but in a country where the annual per capita income is just over $1,900, it will make a massive difference to those who cannot afford private treatment.

Source: Newsweek