Article Title: How to fix our inverted public health pyramid

Article Summary

This article provides suggestions on how to fix our inverted public health pyramid. The article starts by questioning why our government hospitals look like homeless shelters? Why are there so many people sleeping in their corridors? Do we have too few hospitals? Or too few doctors? The reason is poor realisation of a theoretically sound policy.

The article further explains the three-tiered government health centre model that forms the core of the National Health Mission. The article uncovers that the most common reasons for non-availing of services at government health centres are poor quality of services, no nearby health facility, and long waiting lines.

The solutions provided by the article to address these issues are: firstly, the public healthcare system in India needs to build a reputation for credibility. Secondly, a humble acknowledgement of the limitations of the public healthcare sector needs to be made. Thirdly, technology has been tested to improve access and its quality. The conclusion is that the need of the hour is to create an ecosystem of partnership and innovation which brings to the fore a renewed vigour for improving India’s healthcare system.