Today, on World Health Day, I’m seeing many accounts & institutions post about “free health” as a right.
I agree with the sentiment. Wholeheartedly. But if I could propose a small recalibration worth making: let’s retire the word “free” from health communication.
For example, in my work, “free health camp” is one of THE most common phrases. I used it yesterday (guilty!). Healium Camps has used it. BUT I think it deserves a second look.
When an organiser says “free”, they mean no cost to the beneficiary. Genuine. Well-intentioned. Financial barrier, gone!
But the word quietly erases everything that happened before the beneficiary arrived.
The technician who drove four hours. The doctor who gave up Sunday. The NGO that spent months building community trust before a single test was run. The cold chain that kept the supplies viable. The health worker who stayed back to explain a diagnosis nobody was prepared to hear.
None of that was free. Someone paid in time. In expertise. In opportunity cost. In infrastructure. Someone paid in emotion. The service was free for the consumer. That’s not the same as the service being free.
This distinction matters more than it seems.
When a community internalises “free health” as the baseline, it quietly reframes every paid service as an overcharge. Every clinic that bills for the same test becomes suspect. Every lab that charges for the same consultation becomes greedy. The word “free”, used with the best intentions, can erode the perceived value of healthcare itself.
So what are the alternatives?
“Community-funded screening / Sponsored Health Camp” acknowledges investment without erasing its source.
“Accessible care, covered for you” beneficiary-centered, while preserving the value of what’s being offered.
“Entitled Health Camp” for government programs. You’re not receiving a favour. You’re receiving what was always yours.
Or something interesting in donor-driven camps, “Gifted Health Camp” everyone knows a gift has value. Nobody receives a gift and thinks it cost nothing.
While these would need tweaking in the respective local languages to appeal to different audiences, the point is that these aren’t just semantic shifts. They change how communities relate to healthcare, and how healthcare professionals relate to their own work.
Health has never been free. It has only ever been paid for by someone other than a beneficiary.
Naming that honestly might be one of the quietest, most important things we can do for the long-term culture of health in this country.
Sakshie Rastogi
Co-Founder & CEO