We are now fortnightly. A big thank you to all our readers. We are indebted to you for your support.

This first issue of the fortnightly series, 108th in the G’nY timeline, is about one of the largest development challenges India faces­­­­—healthcare. It is common knowledge that doctors in public healthcare are few, not to mention the offhandedness with which they treat the ailing. Although the Constitution of India mentions healthcare as its priority in the Directive Principles of State Policy through several Articles such as Article 38, 39 (e), 41, 47 and more, yet, equitable access to healthcare is a far cry. Healthcare is becoming more and more unequal with private healthcare, especially in urban areas, filling the gap. The downside is that it has made healthcare expensive, exponentially increasing the out-of-pocket expenditure of people who can ill-afford it. Healthcare is therefore impoverishing many.

There has been a lot of research that has encapsulated varied aspects of this inequality­—but little has changed. We have not even begun to understand the need to invest in preventive health. More interestingly, quality drinking water, sanitation, waste disposal and several other determinants of preventive healthcare lies in the domain of various ministries, other than the one dedicated to health and family welfare. Justifiably, each ministry follows its own mandates and priorities. Also of significance is the constant erosion of traditional healthcare knowledge—losing its sheen to expensive allopathic medical education that guarantees better earning opportunities not to mention instant respect. Traditional healthcare’s undermined status is detrimental to the sub-continent’s well-honed skills. This de-skilling needs to be stopped and traditional healthcare practitioners needs be professionally trained to excel in their field to help off-take the load from expensive allopathic medications.

From equitable access and healthcare insurance to emerging healthcare concerns of mental health and pollution related deaths, we have covered just a minute fraction of the actual scenario in India. We promise to bring you more insights, especially in the traditional healthcare sector, soon.

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