Positive Outlier: Health Outcomes in Kerala, India over Time
2018
This case explores how Kerala, India developed a reputation for exemplary health outcomes despite low per capita income. The case describes how the fiscal decline in the latter half of the 20th century led to decreased spending on public services, including health, creating an opening for private-sector providers to meet a growing share of the demand for health services and the impact on out-of-pocket health spending. Readers must think about how emerging health threats such as noncommunicable diseases should be addressed in the 21st century, including the health department’s response and a new initiative to increase capacity in the public health sector.
Learning Objectives: This case will allow readers to appreciate (1) the relationships between education, literacy, and health; (2) what the components of a health system are; (3) the limitations of health indicators as measures of a national health system’s effectiveness; and (4) the challenges of sustaining demand and maintaining the supply and quality of public health services over time.
The Global Health Delivery (GHD) Project, an interdisciplinary collaboration between Harvard Business School, Harvard Medical School, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, investigates the management decisions behind disease treatment and prevention globally. The Global Health Delivery (GHD) Case Collection is a set of teaching case studies that are available for all at no cost online through Harvard Business Publishing, GHDonline, and The Case Centre.
Positive Outlier: Health Outcomes in Kerala, India over Time
Source:
Madore A et al. Positive Outlier: Health Outcomes in Kerala, India over Time. Global Health Delivery Project, Harvard Business Publishing 2018. https://www.globalhealthdelivery.org/publications/positive-outlier-health-outcomes-kerala-india-over-time.