Developing a Pro-people Health Policy Documenting the Participatory Processes Involved in Drafting and Revision of National Health Policy 2017

In India, the election of a new government in 2014 with a massive mandate on the agenda of ‘change’ set in motion the process of drafting new policies in many sectors. A new health policy was also envisaged. Further impetus was provided by the emerging challenges, particularly those pertaining to high out of pocket expenditure and catastrophic expenditure on health. At the same time, global opportunities such as the adoption of Sustainable Development Goals combined with local positives such as the robust growth of healthcare industry in India and better fiscal capacity of the government also drove this ambition. The new National Health Policy 2017 is now adopted by the country and has been driven by the spirit of ‘cooperative governance’ and ‘participatory approach’. This article details these background processes involved in the development of National Health Policy 2017 for India.