NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

What differentiates a high performing health service delivery model from an ordinary service delivery system? Over the years, with the exponential rise in health care spending, health practitioners are increasingly looking for affordable and value-added service models as the key ingredient for delivering effective care.

However, there are number of factors that explain why a strategic delivery model works while some lag behind. Is it the culture, leadership of the organization, or the unique community it serves? Identifying the key approaches that underpin the success of a delivery model is essential to ensuring that similar models can be developed elsewhere to deliver high-quality and affordable care.

Care in rural India continues to face myriad challenges related to accessibility, affordability and quality of services. With the rapid growth of India’s health industry, over half a billion people (50 percent of India’s total population) are served by only 30 percent of the combined medical force. More than 66 percent remain deprived of basic primary care and over 50 percent travel 20-30 kilometers to reach distant hospitals.