The public healthcare system in India is, to say the least, a disaster. The burden of healthcare delivery has fallen on private providers, the triumvirate consisting of hospitals, the pharmaceutical industry and doctors. All three of these sections have been under attack for concerns regarding alleged high medical costs and unethical practices, at various times.
All attempts by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), the government agency that regulates prices, and the government to cap profits by hospitals and pharmaceutical companies have been received with much applause by patients, only to be shelved in the absence of true political will, and actual reform when it comes to real-world considerations. Also, some of them, in hindsight have proven to be against the larger interests of those they aim to protect, the patients.
