Do We Care?

This work is an accessible, insider's account of the making of India's health policy in contemporary times. It documents the history of health policy initiatives and changes including the more recent ones, such as the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and the National Aids Control Programme (NACP). India is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. Yet health is not a part of our ambitious development story. In fact, India's disproportionately stingy healthcare budget makes some of the poorer nations look better in comparison. Statistics, however, speak louder than critics: we have one of the highest numbers of women dying in childbirth and under-five mortality rates. Every year nearly sixty million people get pushed below the poverty line due to the health expenditures that they incur. But there are a few bright spots too: India has eradicated polio and reversed the incidence of HIV/AIDS by an impressive margin. Drawing on her experience as the former union health secretary, K. Sujatha Rao gives us an unsparingly candid insider's view of India's health system. This richly detailed book favours increasing the health budget, greater use of technology, and providing leadership and good governance. Rao argues that unless good health is prioritized as a national goal, India's growth story will remain largely self-congratulatory.