Report of the National Commission on Macroeconomics and Health

The National Commission on Macroeconomics and Health (NCMH) was established in March 2004 to strengthen disease control and primary healthcare in India. Its overall objective was to assess how increased investments in the health sector impact poverty  and economic development.  In this report, the Commission discusses the economic basis for investing in health and how public financing can be most effectively utilised. It discusses the critical issues plaguing the health sector, such as inequitable access to basic services, inefficiencies in the system, and an absence of patients’ rights. The report states that liberalisation of the economy increased employment opportunities and incomes, thus reducing poverty levels. These developments also introduced changes in lifestyles, increased urbanisation and connectivity, and enhanced access to information. Together, this has had a profound impact on the epidemiologic and health-seeking behaviour of people. The rising demand for health services has revealed the inadequacies of the current healthcare system, both in the public and private domains. It is the responsibility of the government to provide an efficient healthcare system, along with health education, preventive programmes, curative services, and affordable health services for the poor...