Resource Type: Analysis/Report
Authors: Amit Paliwal, Marc Luoma and Carlos Avila
Published: July 31, 2014

Resource Description: 

For India’s public health system to deliver effectively, it is imperative that policymakers place strategic focus on tackling persistent HRH issues such as chronic shortage of health workers, unbalanced skill mix in the existing health workforce, and inequitable urban-rural distribution of health workers. Taking optimal health care to the farthest corners of the country is critical to the vision of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for comprehensive and integrated health services. The National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) has made substantive efforts to place doctors and other health workers in rural and remote areas through a vast network of health sub-centers, and primary and community health centers. However, persistent shortage and maldistribution of qualified health providers continue to adversely affect the quality and efficiency of public health services, especially in rural areas.