India reforms health: A compendium of writings
Reading Time: 2 minutesEditor's Note
These articles originally appeared in the Mint. The views are those of the author(s). Brookings India does not have an institutional view.
Restructuring the Medical Council of India to eliminate corruption
By Shamika Ravi
NITI Aayog has proposed replacing the compromised Medical Council of India with a new National Medical Commission (NMC), outlined in a draft Bill known as the National Medical Commission Bill of 2016. We look into this proposed Bill, refer to national and international best practices and suggest recommendations that would raise the integrity and overall quality of accreditation of medical education in India.
What Uttar Pradesh tells us about public health infrastructure
By Shamika Ravi and Mudit Kapoor
The recent Gorakhpur tragedy has drawn significant attention towards the state of public health institutions in Uttar Pradesh (UP). According to our Public Health Infrastructure Index –available on Brookings India Health Monitor – Gorakhpur ranks 19 out of 71 districts (census 2011) in UP. This implies that the disease in the public health system is worse than symptoms like Gorakhpur reveal. There has been massive drive to expand public health infrastructure in India particularly in rural areas. The focus must urgently shift now from construction and real estate to staffing of doctors, nurses, technicians, availability and maintenance of equipment and supply of drugs.
“Who knew healthcare was so complex“
By Shamika Ravi and Mudit Kapoor
NITI Aayog has made a promising start in recognising that the public sector does not have the wherewithal to meet the non-communicable disease challenge and that the private sector must fill this gap. The proposal is to incentivise the private sector via public private partnerships (PPPs). The authors highlight some challenges that would need to be addressed, and argue that it would be a fatal conceit to believe in simple solutions to complex problems of healthcare.
The need for reforms in healthcare finance
By Shamika Ravi
The Centre and state governments are experimenting with several new and exciting ideas in healthcare reforms. What is missing, however, is a serious reform agenda for health financing. India must be open to experimentation beyond expanding insurance coverage.
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