India: A Split Healthcare System

India has seen increases in life expectancy and the government has devoted significant sums of public and private money to recent health projects. However, these health projects often only benefit specific groups that are already more well-off than the rest of the population. Most importantly, the government has now decided to invest in the private sector, while the public sector continues to deteriorate.

So why is there this dramatic split within the health care sector? Whereas Singapore, Japan and more recently China have emerged from rural societies into modern economies through industrialization, urbanization then modernization, India seems to have skipped a step. There has been a quick and dramatic split in society with the minority changing from rural to modern and the majority remaining in poverty.

The divide between public and private enterprise is easily experienced by the fact that cell phone service is more reliable than electricity. Another example is the fact that many foreigners come from abroad for surgery in major private centers, while rural public centers continue to deteriorate. With such a badly split healthcare system, how will India’s government respond when care is being rationed by profit in the private sector and wait times in the public sector?

I believe that major change in the political agenda or more public-private partnerships will be the only salvation for India's health care system. As a major change in political priorities is unlikely in the near future, focus should be put on building public-private partnerships.