Systems Engineering Approaches for Indian Public Health

Abstract

The Indian Public Health system exhibits attributes similar to artificially engineered complex systems. The multi-dimensional nature of these attributes, such as variable access to health facilities in rural vs urban settings; paucity of public funds dedicated for the betterment of healthcare; a clear fragmentation in the quality of care provided by public health systems and private hospitals; and several interacting components within the health system such as patients, hospitals, trained practitioners; as well as other interfacing parameters with direct impact on health, such as literacy, sanitation, drinking water facilities - closely mirror the complexity observed in any artificially designed systems and products such as a computer, aircraft, medical devices, etc. By juxtaposing the common system-level attributes, patterns, and constraints observed in the design of such artificial systems, and employing systems engineering-based modeling approaches, better solutions can be incrementally and efficiently deployed for public health.