This report focuses on four areas of the health system in which reforms, and innovations would make the most difference to the future of the Indian health system: oversight, public health service delivery, ambulatory curative care, and inpatient care (together with health insurance). Part 1 of...

The richness of the research papers in this volume makes it difficult to quickly capture the main themes and implications of their research. But three repeated themes can be highlighted: equality of public spending, the role of the private sector, and the role of consumers. On the theme of...

Health services can make an important contribution to improved health conditions among disadvantaged groups. Yet as the contents of this volume make clear, the health services supported by governments, and by agencies like ours too often fail to reach these people who need them most. This is not...

This is a documentation of effective partnership that helped to improve Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) outcomes for the urban poor in Kolkata, India. This partnership was supported by the IDA financed (US$ 71.4 million) Family Welfare Urban Slums Project. The Kolkata Metropolitan...

Governance is thought to be a key determinant of economic growth, social advancement and overall development, as well as for the attainment of the MDGs in low- and middle-income countries. Governance of the health system is the least well-understood aspect of health systems. A framework for...

This paper examines the impact of quality improvements in conjunction with user fees on the utilization and equality of outpatient services at a range of public sector health facilities in India. Project impact on outpatient visits was estimated via the difference-in-difference method using...

In 2009 the government of China identified an essential drugs policy as one of five priority areas for health system reform. Since then, a national essential drugs policy has been defined, along with plans to implement it. As a large scale social intervention, the policy will have a significant...

Decision makers and the public are in need of information to guide their decisions about how to strengthen health services. This book pulls together available evidence concerning strategies to improve health services delivery in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), using current methods to...

This paper reviews existing NCD programs in Bangladesh and identifies key priorities for the country to help address the NCD burden.