Policy Study on Medical Services

Date:
February 19, 2024
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Rajasthan has an intricate public health system with concerted investments in the last few years indicating the high priority accorded to improving the health status of the state�s residents. However, in comparison to other similar states as well as the national average, the state fares poorly in terms of health process and outcomes. This study was conceptualized and developed following an invitation from the Chief Minister�s Economic Transformation Advisory Council in order to arrive at health policy recommendations to improve the quality of medical services in the public health sector as well as the overall provision of health care. In particular, the government indicated a special interest in relatively low-cost and ?doable� short-term innovations such as telemedicine that have been used in settings similar to Rajasthan. The study used a health systems approach with a focus on the most vulnerable communities, and doable, short-term innovations. Both primary and secondary research were used for this study. Jaipur and Karauli districts were selected for primary field research and nine facilities were visited in the month of October 2021 for this purpose. The study findings were categorized into five themes of interest: public health facilities, health services and schemes, human resources for health, programme management, and governance. Overall, the study suggested that there have been considerable improvements in the processes within the health sector and this has resulted in favourable outputs and outcomes. However, the gaps that remain require simultaneous, concerted action on multiple fronts. To this end, five seminal recommendations are proposed below that have the potential to address a multitude of challenges.The study team envisions that the implementation of these recommendations will result in improved access to health care for the most vulnerable communities, with appropriate, acceptable, high-quality services provided by adequate HR.