Healthcare for All: Community Action and Public Systems for an Inclusive India (Public Policy in India)

This book offers a comprehensive analysis of India’s healthcare challenges and the pathways to achieving universal health coverage. It critically examines the current healthcare landscape, highlighting persistent issues such as undernutrition, demographic transitions, and pandemic vulnerabilities.

The book emphasises the importance of strengthening public healthcare systems, investing in human resources, and adopting a community-centred approach to health policy. It discusses the need for decentralised community action, substantial public investment in healthcare infrastructure, addressing urban health challenges, and developing a more inclusive and accessible healthcare model. Drawing on microstudies from across different states, the volume offers evidence-based recommendations for policymakers to transform India’s healthcare ecosystem and make quality healthcare a reality for all. Its multidisciplinary approach – spanning healthcare policy, economics, and social development – ensures relevance across diverse professional domains while maintaining a clear focus on healthcare improvement in India. This broad yet focused perspective makes it a valuable resource for both specialists in the field and those seeking to understand the complexities of India’s healthcare challenges and solutions.

Part of the Innovations, Practice and the Future of Public Policy in India series, this open access volume will interest policy professionals, administrators, academics, and researchers in public health, healthcare economics, and development studies.

This book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

K. Srinath Reddy is a renowned cardiologist and epidemiologist and the founder and past president of the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI).

Girija Vaidyanathan is a retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer (1981 batch) with extensive experience in public health, nutrition, and environmental governance.

Amarjeet Sinha is a distinguished IAS officer from the 1983 Bihar Cadre with a profound commitment to transforming lives and livelihoods of marginalised communities.