Kerala’s public healthcare services: Bihar’s blueprint for post–COVID-19 resilience

Abstract

Background and Aim: The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the vulnerability of the healthcare system in the Indian states. The pandemic has revealed the appalling lack of preparedness of the Indian states, as well as their inadequate public health systems, structural weaknesses, and gaps in the implementation of welfare programs. States like Kerala have well-managed healthcare services during COVID-19, and Kerala has a decentralized health model that provides affordable, accessible, and responsive healthcare to its population. On the other hand, Bihar has been struggling to provide basic health facilities to the state population and exposed the lackluster performance of the health sector. The paper primarily focuses on analyzing Bihar’s health issues and suggesting ways the state might improve its health while implementing Kerala’s healthcare model. Methods: A detailed search and analysis of health status and health care in these two states was done using major databases, such as Web of Science, Medicine/PubMed, Scopus, OVID, and Google Scholar search engines. Results: Bihar has been facing structural and functional deficiencies in the public health system, making it inadequate for handling the future healthcare needs of the people. However, Bihar can ensure no one is left behind by the law, which will help to maintain equality among the people. Conclusion: Therefore, Kerala’s healthcare service and public policies, such as the public health Act, are role models for Bihar. The paper concludes that Kerala’s public healthcare system offers strong health sector infrastructure and policy frameworks, effectively demonstrated by its impressive health indicators.

Keywords

• bihar
• covid-19
• decentralization
• healthcare
• kerala
• public health
• primary care
• resilience
• universal health coverage