Rethinking Health Systems: Failures, Fixes & Future Frontiers
In this deeply introspective panel on public health, leading voices across sectors reflect on the overlooked failures that COVID-19 exposed in India’s health ecosystem and what that means for building a more resilient, equitable future. From policy gaps and unsustainable infrastructure to neglected social determinants and systemic inequity, the panelists delve into the complexities of scale, design, and intent that shape the health sector.
Neeraj Jain of PATH recounts India’s oxygen crisis during COVID’s Delta wave – how a surge of infrastructure was built, but now lies dormant or unused. Dr. Rachna Jain offers a frontline view of maternal healthcare under the Janani Suraksha Yojana, exposing how inequitable design, inadequate quality, and the marginalization of traditional birth attendants undermined maternal outcomes. Rajani Ved revisits the trajectory of the Home-Based Newborn Care program, tracing its success and its stumbling blocks as it moved from a high-performing pilot to a national rollout. Nachiket Mor rounds off the session with a systems-thinking lens, urging a long-view shift from curative to preventive health, and proposing creative ways to reimagine coordination without forcing it.
Together, the panel underscores that health systems aren’t just about infrastructure or technology – they’re about people, context, and listening to failure not as an endpoint, but as a necessary step in honest redesign.
