Having assumed office, the new health minister, Dr Sarwadwat Mukherjee is making sincere efforts to improve the health system in West Bengal. He has made substantial progress in expanding access to healthcare over the past few months. A large proportion of government healthcare services are provided free of cost, making the public health system the principal source of treatment for economically vulnerable families through Ayushman/Mukhyamantri health scheme.

However, expansion of infrastructure alone cannot guarantee a high-quality health system. The next phase of reform must focus on quality, human resources, accountability, safety and public trust. Recent assessments of West Bengal’s public health infrastructure have highlighted significant shortages of specialist doctors, nurses, paramedical personnel and essential medicines. The CAG’s performance audit of public health infrastructure identified serious gaps in manpower, infrastructure and service delivery. Strengthening the system therefore requires not merely constructing more hospitals, but ensuring that existing institutions are adequately staffed, equipped and efficiently managed. The f irst priority should b e strengthening primary healthcare.

A well-functioning network of primary health centres and community-level facilities can diagnose and treat common illnesses before they become medical emergencies. Properly equipped primary care facilities can also reduce the overwhelming patient load on medical colleges and tertiary hospitals. Every major health centre should have adequate doctors, nurses, diagnostic facilities, essential medicines and reliable referral and ambulance services. The second major priority is human........

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