India was estimated to have the largest numbers of stillbirths globally in 2015, and the Indian government has adopted a target of <10 stillbirths per 1,000 births by 2030 through the India Newborn Action Plan (INAP). The objective of this study was to use verbal autopsy interviews to examine factors associated with stillbirth in the Indian state of Bihar and make recommendations for the INAP to better inform the setting of priorities and actions to reduce stillbirths.

Several rounds of national health surveys have generated a vast amount of data in India since 1992. We describe and compare the key health information gathered, assess the availability of health data in the public domain, and review publications resulting from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS), the District Level Household Survey (DLHS) and the Annual Health Survey (AHS).

Analysis of the scope and quality of evaluations of health system/policy interventions done in India is not available. Such analysis can help in conducting more useful evaluations. The authors accessed evaluation reports of health system/policy interventions aimed at improving population health in India, reported during 2001-08, which were available in the public domain through extensive internet searches.

Well planned health research is fundamental to the improvement of health in all countries. Relevant health research has contributed to a doubling of life expectancy in India over the past 60 years since independence. However, India still has the largest disease burden of any country, the mitigation of which will require existing gaps in health research to be addressed.

HIV testing is a key component of HIV control efforts. The authors examined the distribution of HIV testing in a population-based sample from Guntur district in Andhra Pradesh, which is estimated to have one of the highest prevalence rates of HIV in India.