Emerging need for health policy teaching in India

The core functions of public health agencies at all levels of government are identified as assessment, policy development, and assurance. However, the public health agencies in India are struggling with issues of access, inefficiency, and inequity. There has been failure in terms of health service delivery by public sector. Health Policy is being increasingly recognized as a discipline that has much to offer developing countries in addressing the problems related to policy, governance, and regulatory failure. However, the information about skill-oriented courses on health policy especially from the context of translating public health science into policy action is incomplete and limited. This paper attempts to address this knowledge gap and stimulate discussion in this direction.