Notwithstanding the urgency to reform and restructure the health system, cost of care can be contained if referral systems could be enforced and the unfinished agenda of controlling infectious diseases achieved. The existing financing and payment systems are not suitable for countering market failures typical of insurance. An attempt has been made in this paper to explore whether this system can be made to generate better health outcomes, enable participation of civil society, widen choice of provider, provider accountability, optimise utilisation of existing capacities and promote more need-based deployment of resources.
