India, July 1 -- The story of Uttar Pradesh's healthcare system is much more than the story of hospitals and medical colleges. It is the story of a state that spent decades with advanced medical care concentrated in a handful of cities, and then witnessed one of the biggest transformations in its public healthcare system. For years, quality healthcare in Uttar Pradesh largely meant travelling to Lucknow. Today, that reality is changing. The biggest achievement is not the number of medical colleges built. The real achievement is that advanced healthcare is gradually reaching people where they live.

If we trace this journey from the British era to the present day, the biggest transformation was not the construction of a single institution....