India has always had a very large private health sector, especially for ambulatory healthcare services. This includes providers of modern medicine as well as traditional practitioners. Hospital services until the mid-v 70s were predominantly in the public domain. Medical education was almost a public monopoly till the late eighties. The private sector grew rapidly postv 80s, but even today 75 per cent of outturn of medical graduates is from public medical schools.
Tracing Privatisation of Healthcare in India
by Ravi Duggal, Lok Samvad, 01 September, 2008