Laroia M., Gupta S.
The Indian healthcare system is a convoluted web of interplaying elements, a rare occurrence, where the public and private sector coexist, interact and function simultaneously to deliver healthcare services. Considering, the public and private health systems as sub-systems of the whole, it was observed that solutions don’t easily penetrate into or traverse through these sectors. Moreover, the causality of the problems in the system remains largely misunderstood, leading to piled up unmet needs. These are wicked problems as they bleed into one another making designing for health in India, challenging. The adoption of System Thinking methodologies like cluster mapping, user-experience graphs and feedback loops, emerged as effective tools for information handling and synthesis. The Giga map, drawn thereafter, compares the state proposed structure of the system with its abysmal ground realities along with outlining the patients’ experiences while navigating this system. The public and private system were observed as a whole and their comparative analysis was quintessential in deciphering unforeseen relationships, making the system study unique to our context. Their disparateness led to the emergence of a unique and inspiring interplay for discovering unmet needs. It is in this context that the study conducted holds relevance and lays the ground for dialogue and discovering the ‘sweet spot of intervention.
