Dr. Devendra Kothari
Population and Development Analyst
Forum for Population Action
Leading medical journal, The Lancet, noted that India is
sidelining health sector. In an interview, Richard Horton, editor-in- chief of The
Lancet, said that "health is an issue of national
security" for India, but the government “is not taking it seriously”. Despite substantial improvements in some health
indicators in the past decade, India contributes disproportionately to the
global burden of disease, with health indicators that compare unfavorably with
other middle-income countries and India's regional neighbors. Large health
disparities between states, between rural and urban populations, and across
social classes persist. A large proportion of the population is impoverished
because of high out-of-pocket health-care expenditures and suffers the adverse
consequences of poor quality of care.[1]
The post makes the case not only for
more resources but for a radically new architecture for India's health-care
system. India needs to adopt an integrated national health-care system built
around a strong public primary care system with a clearly articulated
supportive role for the private and indigenous sectors.
For further reading, see post entitled:
India needs efficient healthcare system for overall development, No. 70, dated June 30, 2015
[1]
Refer article:
Vikram Patel and others. 2015. Assuring health coverage for all in India, The
Lancet, vol. 386(10011), p. 2422-2435
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