It is estimated that the size of the medical tourism market in the country will be Rs 1,95,000 crore in 2012. Based on a literature review of healthcare business media, policy documents and a few academic papers, this essay looks at the scope for medical tourism in India and situates it within the Asian context.

How can healthcare be made equitably accessible to every individual, no matter the circumstances of geography, employment, income, wealth, age, gender, occupation and the ability to exercise autonomous choices? An outline of the steps that must be taken to move towards healthcare for all.

Citizens have long been frustrated by the secretive nature of the public-private partnerships (PPPs). A Madras High Court judgement on Tirupur water project SPV kindles hopes that PPPs will now be compelled to open up.

Obamacare is here. As he affixed his signature to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act on 23 March 2010, President Obama signed into law what many observers view as one of the most important changes to the American healthcare system since 1965. If all goes as planned, by 2019 (when the law becomes fully operational), the USA will have largely erased a major blot on its healthcare system.

The policy of levying charges on people seeking healthcare, which requires people to pay before receiving care, has been a contentious issue among health policy-makers and people working in the health sector. The impact of user charges on the health of a nation merits serious consideration.

The medical education system in India may be on the verge of collapse. An exploding number of medical colleges; a skewed distribution of these around the country; devaluation of merit in admissions, particularly in private institutions - all contribute to this gloomy picture.