Is Indian health care a model for the rest of Asia? asks Liberty Institute director

Many of India's Asian neighbors have looked on with envy as the country has, in recent years, undergone unprecedented economic growth and developed new and internationally competitive industrial sectors. But it is just not India's famous IT sector that regional neighbors are seeking to copy - India's health care system is also seen as a progressive model worthy of emulation, says Barun Mitra, director of the independent, Delhi-based think-tank the Liberty Institute, in a review published by UK partner the Campaign for Fighting Disease.

This is a bit strange, because most Indian commentators are united in the belief that this is the area that needs the most reform. Life expectancy hovers around 64 years, infant mortality rates persist at 60 for every 1, 000 live births, and the maternal mortality rate remains at 400-500 for every 100,000 deliveries.

Based on policy of delivering cheap drugs