A strong public health system is a necessary prerequisite if a country is to consider itself ‘developed’. As India strives to attain the status of a global superpower, it is important to look at what the state is doing to secure the health of its people. Make Health in India, the first volume in the Policy Studies series, traces the evolution of India’s health system in recent decades, with particular attention to the journey towards Universal Health Coverage.
The book highlights the marked regional and social inequalities in key health indicators such as infant and maternal mortality, while describing the transition to new public health challenges.
The author studies the challenges arising from a weak health system and adverse socio-economic determinants of health. The book critically analyses the various policy initiatives undertaken over the last 15 years to improve access and affordability of health services with particular attention to the National Health Policy of 2017 and Ayushman Bharat unveiled in 2018. The author also proposes a list of actions that can create a coherent framework for promoting and protecting the health of all Indians.
Professor Srinath Reddy is the President of the Public Health Foundation of India, Adjunct Professor at several universities, including Harvard and Emory, and was also Head of the Department of Cardiology at AIIMS.
Widely regarded as a leader of preventive cardiology at national and international levels, Professor Reddy has been a researcher, teacher, policy-enabler, advocate and activist. He has more than 500 scientific publications in both Indian and international peer-reviewed journals.
He has served on many WHO expert panels and was President of the World Heart Federation from 2013–14. He chaired the Core Advisory Group on Health and Human Rights for the National Human Rights Commission of India for several years, and was a member of the first National Science and Engineering Research Board, Government of India.
Professor Reddy has received many awards and accolades. Some of these are:
• The WHO Director General's Award for Outstanding Global Leadership in Tobacco Control; • In 2005, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan for his contribution to public health; • In 2009, he was honoured with the Fellowship of the Faculty of Public Health, UK; • In 2013–14, Dr Reddy was elected President of the World Heart Federation.
List of Figures and Tables
List of Abbreviations
Preface
Acknowledgements