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Research

Centre for Health Policy and Systems (CHPS)

About the Centre

The Centre for Health Policy and Systems (CHPS) at Gokhale Institute Of Politics And Economics (GIPE) was established on May 03, 2022 to consolidate Gokhale Institute’s portfolio of work on health policy and systems into a coherent whole. The Centre is committed to expanding research on health policy and systems, contributing to health policy and practice, and better engaging with the current policy and scholarly discussions on universal and equitable health coverage in India and beyond.

The CHPS aims to inform and influence policies and systems (health and beyond) to pursue population health goals through research on improving the effectiveness, equity, and efficiency of health systems. The CHPS investigates how health care is organized, delivered, financed, and used; how health policies are prioritized, developed, and implemented; and how and why health systems do or do not generate health and wider social goals. The CHPS translates research into action to strengthen health systems such that they can better achieve their goals. The Centre’s work is informed by a wide set of theories, frameworks, and tools, drawn from a range of disciplines, to examine and test how different elements of systems (not just health, but broader social systems) – actors, functions, and their relationships – can interact (or not) and fit together (or not) to achieve health system goals.

The Centre aims to actively convene and leverage the diverse expertise at Gokhale Institute and its partners to extend the policy and scholarly discussions on universal and equitable health coverage in India and beyond.

Team CHPS

Prof Anjali Radkar

Professor, Dean of Academic Affairs Head, CS SE&IP

anjali.radkar@gipe.ac.in

216, Main Building Ext: 334

Professor Anjali Radkar is a demographer–statistician and has designed the M.Sc. (Population Studies and Health Economics) program at Gokhale Institute. She teaches Population Size, Structure; Population and Health Policy and Research Methodology. Her research interests are age-sex structure, workforce participation, maternal and child health, mortality, morbidity and nutrition in India, and health systems research.

Prof Sumit Kane

Professor, Nossal Institute for Global Health, Melbourne School Of Population And Global Health, The University Of Melbourne, Australia

Professorial Fellow, Gokhale Institute of Politics & Economics, BMCC Road, Pune, Ind

sumit.kane@gipe.ac.in

sumit.kane@unimelb.edu.au
Profile

Professor Sumit Kane’s research focus is on the equity, quality, and responsiveness of low-and-middle-income country health systems. In his inquiries, he takes a critical, reflexive stance to examine issues and experiences from multiple perspectives (social, systems, operational), always with a view to inform the development of feasible solutions.

Dr Mayuri Samant

Assistant Professor of Sociology, Gokhale Institute of Politics & Economics, BMCC Road, Pune, India

mayuri.samant@gipe.ac.in

UGC, Building Ext: 118

Dr. Mayuri Samant holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune. Her areas of research include Gender studies, Caste, Family, and Health studies. Her research approach towards research is critical and interdisciplinary. She has extensive experience in carrying out qualitative research in Social Science and Public Health.

Ms. Madhura Joshi

Research Associate, Gokhale Institute of Politics & Economics, BMCC Road, Pune, India

madhura.joshi@gipe.ac.in

UGC, Building Ext: 118

Madhura is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Health Sciences from Tampere University, Finland. She holds an MPhil in Sociology from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi. Her areas of interest are higher education, cultural studies, and health.

Ms. Sanjana Santosh

Research Associate, Gokhale Institute of Politics & Economics, BMCC Road, Pune, India

madhura.joshi@gipe.ac.in

UGC, Building Ext: 118

Sanjana is a research professional with an MA in Development from Azim Premji University, Bangalore. She has experience in qualitative research in the field of Health, Sociology and Public Governance.

Completed Projects

Strengthening Growth Monitoring and Promotion through the Integrated Child Development Services in Maharashtra 2014-2015

Principal Investigator: Prof. Anjali Radkar

The study was aimed  at assessing the present status of growth monitoring and promotion activities implemented through ICDS Anganwadi centers at 3 sites, Nandurbar, rural areas of district Ahmednagar, and urban slums in Mumbai using qualitative observations and semi-structured interview methods.

Caesarean-section deliveries in Bhandara District. 2015-2016

Principal Investigator: Prof. Anjali Radkar

This is study on C-section deliveries and its determinants. Among the districts of Maharashtra, the share is highest in Bhandara so this exploratory study was designed to gain insights into reasons behind it.

Health-seeking behaviour in four Indian states.2018-2023

Principal Investigators: Prof. Sumit Kane, Prof. Anjali Radkar, Prof. Barbara McPake

This multi-method study and multi-site focused ethnographic inquiry examines the care-seeking journeys of patients suffering from chronic illnesses in 4 Indian states viz. Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab and Tamil Nadu.

Researching trust relations in health systems 2016 – Ongoing

Principal Investigators: Prof. Sumit Kane, Prof. Anjali Radkar, Prof. Michael Calnan

The study entails a sociological examination of trust relations in the health system with a view to identify opportunities and means to maintain and rebuild trust in the health system and the medical profession.

Qualitative study on ASHA 2018-2020

Principal Investigators: Prof. Sumit Kane, Prof. Anjali Radkar

This was a qualitative case study of the Indian CHW program (CHWs are called accredited social health activists: ASHAs). It was aimed to explore how ASHAs experience being CHWs, and what shapes their experience and performance.

Ongoing Projects

Doctors under siege: Making sense of the rising incidents of violence against doctors in India.2021-2024

Principal Investigators: Prof. Sumit Kane, Prof. Anjali Radkar, Prof. Michael Calnan, Prof. Salla Atkins.

The study involves a sociological examination to reveal what might underpin and explain the rising incidents of violence against doctors in India. The study also tries to address what do the rising incidents of violent attacks on doctors in India imply for the social contract between the medical profession and society.

Exploring pathways to repairing and restoring trust in the health system. 2018-2023

Principal Investigators: Prof. Sumit Kane, Prof. Anjali Radkar, Prof. Michael Calnan

How do individuals (and their families) cope with major chronic illnesses in the urban context in India? 2020-2025

Principal Investigators: Prof. Sumit Kane, Prof. Barbara McPake

The study seeks to explore the social impact as well as coping strategies adopted by individuals and households in the face of major illnesses in the urban context. We will examine how people draw on both household-level resources (financial, social, network, and moral) and also on care providers to cope with the major illnesses they encounter.

Study of urban community health workers in Pune city. 2023-2025

Principal Investigator: Prof. Sumit Kane

The aim of the study is to explore the challenges faced by urban ASHAs in Pune city.

Managing problematic menstruation in the profession of policewomen in India: A medical-sociological inquiry

The study will analyse the implications of problematic menstruation i.e., heavy, unpredictable, and painful bleeding on policewomen’s health and professional career. The study will adopt a mixed methods approach, where surveys and qualitative interviews will be conducted with the aim to generate insights that can inform policies and practices related to women’s health.

Recent Publications 

  • Santosh S, Kane S. 2023. Extending Kingdon’s Multiple Streams Policy Framework Through an Analysis of How Community Health Workers in India Are Driving Policy Changes. Community Health Equity Research & Policy. (Read more)
  • Samant M, Calnan M, Kane S. 2023. A critical analysis of newspaper accounts of violence against doctors in India. Social Science and Medicine. Dec 8; Volume 340 (Read more)
  • Doctor G: Story of finding a ‘Doctor’s touch’. 2023. Doing Sociology. 13th March (Read more)
  • Dirghakalin ajarane grasta rugnancha upcharasathicha na sampnara pravas. 2022.Indie Journal.1st November (Read more)
  • Kane S, Joshi M, Desai S, Mahal A, McPake B. 2022. People’s care seeking journey for a chronic illness in rural India: Implications for policy and practice. Journal of Social Science and Medicine. Sep 23. Volume 312 (Read more)
  • Kane S, Radkar A, Gadgil M, McPake B. Community Health Workers as Influential Health System Actors and not “Just Another Pair Of Hands”. Int J Health Policy Manag. 2021 Aug 1;10(8):465-474. doi: 10.34172/ijhpm.2020.58. PMID: 32610755; PMCID: PMC9056200
  • Calnan, M., Kane, S. 2019. Trust and the regulation of health systems: insights from India., in: Chamberlain, J. M., Dent, M., Saks, M., (Eds.) Professional health regulation in the public interest. Bristol University Press; Policy Press (Read more)
  • Kane, S., Calnan, M., 2016. Erosion of Trust in the Medical Profession in India: Time for Doctors to Act. International Journal of Health Policy and Management. 5 (x), 1-4 (Read more)
  • Kane, S, Calnan M, Radkar A. 2015. Trust and trust relations from the providers’ perspective: the case of the healthcare system in India. Indian J Med Ethics. 12(3): 157-68 (Read more)
  • Sanjana Santosh (2022, May 10). Book Review: Birthright by Vaasanthi, translated by Vasantha Surya [Online]. The Sociological Review Magazine (Read more)