Although on the map you can only see one India, in fact two Indias exist, especially when we examine the health sector. There is an India that is emerging, prospering, competing and innovating. There is another India that is growing, struggling, supporting and creating.
The first is an India which is like the US, which has shiny new hospitals with world class care but high prices, an India where millionaires exist and build twenty four story houses. This India has a relatively small population but is generating massive amounts of growth and is the force behind propelling India into the global arena in pharma, health service delivery, IT and R&D. In this India you can not only find American brands and products but also many Indian-Americans who have either come or returned to India because of the offered prosperity and opportunity. When walking through Max Healthcare or Religare I could have been in the US with the advanced technology and customer service. The technology being developed at the John Welches GE centre is mind blowing - bringing twenty cent ECGs to the people of India.
There exits another India which is like Cameroon, a west African country in which I spent two years. In this India there is poverty, poor services, a lack of infrastructure, and corruption, but there is also a sense of community. The majority of India falls under this description, and with a growing "bottom of the pyramid" India is challenged to find innovative ways to bring wealth and health to this sector. Some of the similarities to Cameroon were: - the existence of a sense of community and shared responsibility. Family and community are highly valued and health issues seem to be death with as a family, and have family impacts in terms of costs, travel, loss of income, support and care givers. - unwavering determination to survive. Dharavi was an example it this, a thriving slum with a significant economy. When we visited we saw school children learning and parents working. The pottery business was well developed and the determination of the workers to survive was evident through their producing more than they can sell. People work extremely hard but so not seem embittered or discontent with them lives. - authoritarian organizations with strict hierarchy are common in India like I saw in Cameroon. On one hand they can be advantageous in spurring ideas like in the case of Narayana where Devi Shetty's inspiration and leaderships drives the innovation in that organization. On the other hand this can lead to organizations unable to survive once their founder has left, and organizations that stifle thinking outside the box or questioning the leader.
Overall, India is very diverse and has a dichotomy of systems and cultures working together. It was very nice to see that a lot of the big pharma, hospitals and multinationals are trying to help improve access and reduce cost for the rural poor living below the poverty line. There is a lot if work to be done in terms of universal health and improving fthe quality of life but if any country can do it, incredible India is the one.
The first is an India which is like the US, which has shiny new hospitals with world class care but high prices, an India where millionaires exist and build twenty four story houses. This India has a relatively small population but is generating massive amounts of growth and is the force behind propelling India into the global arena in pharma, health service delivery, IT and R&D. In this India you can not only find American brands and products but also many Indian-Americans who have either come or returned to India because of the offered prosperity and opportunity. When walking through Max Healthcare or Religare I could have been in the US with the advanced technology and customer service. The technology being developed at the John Welches GE centre is mind blowing - bringing twenty cent ECGs to the people of India.
There exits another India which is like Cameroon, a west African country in which I spent two years. In this India there is poverty, poor services, a lack of infrastructure, and corruption, but there is also a sense of community. The majority of India falls under this description, and with a growing "bottom of the pyramid" India is challenged to find innovative ways to bring wealth and health to this sector. Some of the similarities to Cameroon were: - the existence of a sense of community and shared responsibility. Family and community are highly valued and health issues seem to be death with as a family, and have family impacts in terms of costs, travel, loss of income, support and care givers. - unwavering determination to survive. Dharavi was an example it this, a thriving slum with a significant economy. When we visited we saw school children learning and parents working. The pottery business was well developed and the determination of the workers to survive was evident through their producing more than they can sell. People work extremely hard but so not seem embittered or discontent with them lives. - authoritarian organizations with strict hierarchy are common in India like I saw in Cameroon. On one hand they can be advantageous in spurring ideas like in the case of Narayana where Devi Shetty's inspiration and leaderships drives the innovation in that organization. On the other hand this can lead to organizations unable to survive once their founder has left, and organizations that stifle thinking outside the box or questioning the leader.
Overall, India is very diverse and has a dichotomy of systems and cultures working together. It was very nice to see that a lot of the big pharma, hospitals and multinationals are trying to help improve access and reduce cost for the rural poor living below the poverty line. There is a lot if work to be done in terms of universal health and improving fthe quality of life but if any country can do it, incredible India is the one.
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