LEADING HEALERS
The health sector in India is a mixed bag. The country’s public spending on healthcare is the lowest among middle income countries, though more domain specialists drive policy as Union ministers than in any other ministry, including finance. Most Indians tend to prefer private healthcare, even though it is more expensive compared to free public healthcare and varies in quality. And while India has world-class hospitals, like Medanta, Apollo and Narayana Health, which have revolutionised healthcare for the middle and upper classes, the promised universal healthcare for the millions in the countryside eludes us still. Many of the 23,673 primary health centres in India exist largely on paper for want of doctors, nurses, paramedical technicians and medicines.
The atmanirbhar challenge in health care for India would be to replicate the model
