Health, environment and sustainable development in India: present situation

Murugesan Palani, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)

Health is a priority goal in its own right, as well as a central input into economic development and poverty reduction. Health sector is complex with multiple goals, multiple products, and different beneficiaries. India is well placed now to develop a uniquely Indian set of health sector reforms to enable the health system in meeting the increasing expectations of its users and staff. Managerial challenges are many to ensure availability, access, affordability, and equity in delivering health services to meet the community needs efficiently and effectively. In this paper, we describe the status of our health system, suggest a few health measures of maternal health indicators provided by three rounds of National Family Health Surveys (NFHSs), and conclude by identifying the roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders for building health systems that are responsive to the community needs, particularly for the poor.