Why India's primary healthcare is reeling and what it can learn from others

In West Bengal and Kerala in India - states in which primary healthcare is co-managed by panchayats - health outcomes are better than in most other states

Simply defined, democracy is a system of governance which is for the people, by the people and of the people. Primary healthcare, similarly defined, is healthcare provided to all, especially the most marginalised, with their participation and for their needs. If the primary healthcare system of a country is not functioning well, it is symptomatic of problems in its democracy itself.

In a democracy, the government acts in the best interests of the people because if it doesn’t, it will be voted out. Amartya Sen and Jean Drèze have argued that this is one of the reasons why India has not