Health care systems in transition III. India, Part I. The Indian experience

Diverse realities: sexually transmitted infections and HIV in India

“…129 According to public health specialist Qadeer, India's pluralistic health system has undergone a series of changes as a result of both internal pressures (the demands of the growing middle classes fostering the development of private services, for example), and external forces (the donor driven policies of the 1990s, for example). 130 While primary health care services have always been intended to be relatively comprehensive in scope and coverage, the reality of service delivery in India has varied according to the perceived competing demands of national priorities. Thus for most of the 1970s and 1980s, much of the reproductive health service delivery was directed at achieving family planning targets.…”

Evolution of quality in maternal health in India: Lessons and priorities

“…[11] The Alma Ata Declaration of 1978 brought back focus on primary health care based on the principles of universality, comprehensiveness and equity. [12] During this phase policy concern and quality related recommendations were largely restricted to human resources in health. [13][14][15] Several health committees made recommendations on improving quality of physical and human resources.…”

Social vulnerability and pneumonic plague: revisiting the 1994 outbreak in Surat, India

“…These reforms did lead to significant cuts in health spending and to attendant declines in public health programs in India (Bidwai, 1994;Purohit, 2001;Qadeer, 2000); however, these trends were already underway prior to the structural adjustment program (Dummer & Cook, 2008;Purohit, 2001;Qadeer, 2000;Ryavec, 1996). The reforms adopted under the tutelage of the IMF/World Bank are but one of many factors contributing to the outbreak.…”

“…A national policy shift in the 1980s favoring private health care (Qadeer, 2000) is also worth noting. Regardless of the intent of this policy, it continued the emphasis upon curative rather than preventive public health care.…”