Ashok Alexander More than a million children under-five die every year in India from largely preventable illnesses. Of the ones who survive, some thirty per cent are malnourished. Many women don’t get good care when pregnant, when they deliver, or after they give birth. There is improvement, and states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Himachal show the way. Others, like Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, are tackling the problem. But the fact remains: India’s maternal and child record is one of the world’s worst. Ironically, India’s public health system is well designed, and potentially, has great reach. Every last village and hamlet in India is covered by a health facility. There are three health/childcare workers for every such unit – higher than in most countries. There are visionary, grass roots health programs. Health spending is low, overall—but many states don’t spend all their funds. Reach, design nor funding is the real problem. It is far more complex. A woman just may not