Formulating Suitable Strategies to Improve Public Health Services in India with Focus on Infrastructure and Administration

Abstract

The public health system in India is plagued with wide-ranging problems and newlinedeficiencies. A lack of adequate facilities, shortage of drugs, corruption, near absence of newlineaccountability, and the unprofessional attitude of employees at various levels are, inter newlinealia, only a few of these. All these together have crippled the public health system. The newlineinefficiencies of the system and/or its operation have led to this sorry state of affairs newlinewhere, despite the stated intent of the authorities, the public at large ends up receiving healthcare services far below their expectations. However, being the only provider of any credible medical care in most parts of rural India and also in several urban settings, the role of the public sector cannot be wholly ignored. newlineIn the past, there have been numerous studies, but these had mostly focused on newlineone or the other sub-component of the health system. As a result, these fragmented studies failed to present a comprehensive picture of the entire healthcare system. newlineStandalone studies are of limited use as the solutions suggested in these when newlineimplemented, would very likely affect the other related components in one way or the newlineother. Therefore, a more appropriate approach would be to formulate the overall strategy newlineonly after studying the health system as a whole and then, consistent with that strategy newlinedevise suitable strategies for the subsystems. The present study views the healthcare newlineservices as a holistic system, and then dwells on its various subsystems.