Title: India’s Public Health System: How Well Does It Function at the National Level?
Abstract: No AccessPolicy Research Working Papers21 Jun 2013India's Public Health System: How Well Does It Function at the National Level?Authors/Editors: Monica Das Gupta and Manju RaniMonica Das Gupta and Manju Ranihttps://doi.org/10.1596/1813-9450-3447SectionsAboutPDF (0.3 MB) ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareFacebookTwitterLinked In Abstract:India has relatively poor health outcomes, despite having a well-developed administrative system, good technical skills in many fields, and an extensive network of public health institutions for research, training, and diagnostics. This suggests that the health system may be misdirecting its efforts, or may be poorly designed. To explore this, Das Gupta and Rani use instruments developed to assess the performance of public health systems in the United States and Latin America based on the framework of the Essential Public Health Functions, identified as the basic functions that an effective public health system must fulfill. The authors focus on the federal level in India, using data obtained from senior health officials in the central government. The data indicate that the reported strengths of the system lie in having the capacity to carry out most of the public health functions. Its reported weaknesses lie in three broad areas. First, it has overlooked some fundamental public health functions such as public health regulations and their enforcement. Second, deep management flaws hinder effective use of resources—including inadequate focus on evaluation, on assessing quality of services, on dissemination and use of information, and on openness to learning and innovation. Resources could also be much better used with small changes, such as the use of incentives and challenge funds, and greater flexibility to reassign resources as priorities and needs change. Third, the central government functions too much in isolation and needs to work more closely with other key actors, especially with subnational governments, as well as with the private sector and with communities. The authors conclude that with some reassessment of priorities and better management practices, health outcomes could be substantially improved. This paper—a product of the Public Services Team, Development Research Group—is part of a larger effort in the group to understand how to improve public service delivery. Previous bookNext book FiguresreferencesRecommendeddetailsCited byCommunity Participation and Utilization of Various Benefits of ICDS Scheme19 September 2023The Timing of Elections and Neonatal Mortality: Evidence from IndiaWorld Bank Economic Review, Vol.36, No.414 November 2022The Effect of Public Health Expenditure on Infant Mortality: Evidence from a Panel of Indian States, 1983–1984 to 2011–2012The Journal of Development Studies, Vol.53, No.1016 October 2016Defining and Assessing Public Health Functions: A Global AnalysisAnnual Review of Public Health, Vol.37, No.1Commentary: Viewpoint: Re-instating a 'public health' system under universal health care in IndiaJournal of Public Health Policy, Vol.36, No.111 September 2014Age-appropriate vaccination against measles and DPT-3 in India – closing the gapsBMC Public Health, Vol.13, No.117 April 2013Effects of state‐level public spending on health on the mortality probability in IndiaHealth Economics, Vol.19, No.1120 November 2009Public management and the essential public health functionsWorld Development, Vol.33, No.7Multi‐agent model for Indian rural health careLeadership in Health Services, Vol.18, No.4 View Published: November 2004 Copyright & Permissions Related Regions South Asia Related Countries India Related Topics Health Nutrition and Population KeywordsCOMMUNICABLE DISEASESCONTAGIOUS DISEASESEXERCISESFAMILY PLANNINGHEALTH EDUCATIONHEALTH OUTCOMESHEALTH POLICYHEALTH PROMOTIONHEALTH REGULATIONSHEALTH SERVICESIMMUNIZATIONIMPLEMENTATIONISOLATIONKNOWLEDGELAWSPREVENTIONPUBLIC HEALTHSCHOOL HEALTHSTDSSURVEILLANCE PDF DownloadLoading ...