Policy Wise

Setting the agenda
The need for government regulation of higher education is the subject of an interesting debate between Abi and Ravikiran Rao. Abi calls for changes in the regulatory structure to keep out ”crooks, politicians, and thugs” and facilitate the entry of large philanthropic institutions. Ravikiran’s response is to point to blogs: Without an external regulator, readers are able [...]

In response to an article Economist, Policy Wise has previously argued that banning quacks is not a viable solution to urban health crisis. Quacks exist because of the poor quality government dispensaries and primary health centers even in large cities.
A new survey conducted in a Delhi slum shows exactly that,
The study, conducted by doctors [...]

The Economist has an article on the quacks practicing in Delhi,
Ten years ago Delhi’s state government drew up an “Anti-Quackery Bill” of which nothing more was heard. But the real problem is less the quacks themselves than the health-care vacuum in which they flourish. India’s private health business is booming, importing flashy technology to serve [...]

The emigration of health professionals from developing world to member countries of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) remains a highly contentious issue. In America itself, according to the American Medical Association (AMA), International Medical Graduates (IMGs) constitute approximately 25% of the physician population. Indians are by far the largest group-nearly 20% of [...]

Arjun Singh imposed quotas. Ramadoss threw out Venugopal. What’s the difference?

After nearly year a struggle, the union health minister, Anbumani Ramadoss has finally managed to dislodge the director of the All India Institute of Medical Science, Dr P Venugopal from his post. There is little Ramadoss hasn’t tried in the last one years: media war, [...]

The wonderful freakonomics blog provides an excellent example of how laws can actually harm the intended beneficiaries. The American with Disabilities Act was enacted to afford greater civil rights protection to the disabled. But has it really helped them?
In 1990, the U.S. Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act, or A.D.A., which was meant to [...]

Abortion is a right. So should be sex determination.

In a recent judgment, the Mumbai High Court has ruled against a plea seeking quashing of the amendment to Preconception and Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques Act (PCPNDT Act) which prohibits sex-determination. The petitioners argued that the PCPNDT Act in its current form was in conflict with [...]

 (Admin note: This is a guest post by Pragmatic)
The term itself is a misnomer in many ways. Which transport system in India is not public? The ubiquitous auto rickshaw is used as a “hop-in and hop-out” coach in many parts of India, operating with a fixed tariff rate on predetermined routes. In Udaipur (Rajasthan), a [...]

Doordarshan, India’s national broadcaster has plans to launch a health channel. It is ostensibly meant to help medical students in India. The annual cost: 180 crores. The government will amend the Cable Television Netowrks(regulation) Act of 1995 to make it compulsory for cable operators to carry the channel.
However, merely forcing the cable operators to carry [...]

(Admin note: This is the second and concluding part of Sakshi’s series on adoption in India. )

A safe, happy home is the best environment for a child to grow and develop. As clichéd as it may sound, India’s future lies in her children. However, with millions of poor, undernourished and abandoned children, India needs a [...]