WHY LEADERSHIP NEEDS TO BE MAINSTREAMED IN INDIA'S HEALTH TRANSFORMATION

Policymakers, innovators, and development experts often speak of transformation—of scaling up infrastructure, embracing cutting-edge technologies, investing in digital health tools, and modernising service delivery.

- DR AYESHA CHAUDHARY

These are undoubtedly essential shifts, but a crucial aspect of this transformation is often relegated to the background: leadership. Why leadership matters, who leads, and what values shape health decisions are often missing from development discourse.

Health policy making in India continues to centre on questions of access, affordability, and innovation, but this conversation must go deeper. We need to consider: Who is making the decisions? Whose experiences are shaping policies? And crucially, who is being left out?

As per a 2024 BMJ study, gender perspectives, particularly, have often been sidelined in health systems, resulting in leadership that lacks inclusivity and fails to address the needs of all populations. In a heterogenous country like India, where health challenges are not only biomedical or scientific, but also social, for ongoing challenges like maternal anaemia, gender-based violence, and undernutrition, technical expertise alone will not offer effective solutions. Tackling these persistent health system challenges necessitates a mindset shift that considers the root causes of inequality in the conceptualisation, design, and implementation of solutions.