FUTURE
OF
HEALTH
CARE
DELIVERY
IN
INDIA
-‐By
Dr.
Major
Genral
Pawan
Kapoor
The
future
of
health
care
delivery
in
India
is
required
to
be
based
on
the
age
old
principles
of
equity,
accessibility,
affordability
and
cost
effectiveness.
This
would
entail
augmentation
of
the
referral
system
wherein
there
is
a
requirement
of
ensuring
building
of
requisite
infrastructure
at
all
levels
and
strengthening
the
process
of
referral
from
Primary
to
Secondary
and
thereafter
to
tertiary
levels.
Follow
up
of
referral
cases
to
be
done
at
Primary
level
that
would
entail
the
reverse
flow
of
appropriate
skills
and
technology
from
the
tertiary
to
the
primary
levels
of
care.
The
augmentation
of
infrastructure,
facilities
and
competence
would
require
a
robust
public
private
partnership
at
all
levels
of
care
based
on
mutual
trust
and
accountability
and
built
on
both
economic
profitability
and
social
acceptability.
Irrespective
of
the
model
followed
the
focus
of
state
and
central
Govt
would
remain
the
primary
and
secondary
levels
of
care
and
committed
implementation
of
National
Health
programmes.
There
would
also
be
a
need
of
encouraging
private-‐
private
partnerships
to
prevent
duplication
and
under
utilisation
of
services
within
a
defined
geographical
area.
The
medical
education
system
needs
to
be
reoriented
towards
meeting
the
healthcare
needs
of
the
country
by
making
the
training
programme
more
practical,
holistic
and
integrated
both
horizontally
and
vertically.
Quality
and
patient
safety
aspects
need
to
be
incorporated
in
the
syllabi
of
both
undergraduate
as
well
as
the
post
graduate
levels
to
bring
in
awareness
and
conscious
implementation
and
for
building
a
quality
and
safety
oriented
culture
in
the
practice
of
medical
sciences.
National
Patient
safety
Goals
need
to
be
identified
and
implemented
across
the
health
care
institutions’.
Certain
regulations
also
need
to
be
in
place
for
ensuring
continuous
competence
development
amongst
the
health
care
professionals
so
that
they
remain
abreast
with
the
advances
in
the
medical
technology
and
contemporary
clinical
practice.
Finally
health
care
delivery
is
not
to
be
taken
as
the
sole
responsibility
of
the
health
care
professionals.
Health
care
is
based
on
inter
-‐
sectoral
coordination
and
therefore
other
sectors
related
to
public
works
department,
water
and
sanitation,
education
etc
have
to
be
beefed
up
and
synchronised
with
the
health
sector
for
meaningful
delivery
of
the
health
care
services.
The
way
ahead
may
appear
to
be
difficult
but
not
impossible
since
IMPOSSIBLE
means
that
I
‘
M
POSSIBLE.
JAI
HIND.