Sumit Kane
Biographic Data
| ID | 3581508 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Sumit Kane |
| GIVEN NAMES | Sumit |
| FAMILY NAME | Kane |
| SIGNATURE | KANE S |
| AFFILIATIONS | The University of Melbourne |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-4858-7344 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 34 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 18 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 34 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2015 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Health system responsiveness to older adults with functional limitations and socio-economic vulnerability in India
BACKGROUND: Health system responsiveness (HSR) is a core health system goal yet remains underexamined for older adults with functional limitations and socio-economic vulnerability in India. OBJECTIVE: To present a novel assessment of HSR among older adults aged 60+ with functional limitations and socio-economic vulnerability in India across six domains: prompt attention, dignity, communication, confidentiality, choice of providers, and quality of…
Understanding disruption in the social contract between the medical profession and society in India
A harmonious relationship between the medical profession and the society it serves is essential for any country’s health system to fulfill its mandate. Society offers trust, respect, authority, and professional autonomy to doctors, and in return, expects doctors to provide good care and prioritize people’s welfare. However, in many parts of the world, we observe growing dissatisfaction, increasingly expressed violently, with the medical professio…
Making sense of the rise in violence against doctors
Identifying implementation science research and policy priorities to advance universal health coverage
Despite efforts to advance universal health coverage (UHC) in different contexts, evidence gaps remain, and implementation science has been underused to address these gaps and determine ‘what works’. The study aimed to establish a research agenda that could guide future research by identifying implementation science research priorities to advance UHC. A three-round modified Delphi study design with a multi-country panel was employed. Initial impl…
The efficiency and productivity-changing trend of PHCIs since the 2009 health reform in China based on a three-stage DEA and Malmquist Productivity Index
Background: In China, most primary health care institutes (PHCIs) support ground-level medical services which are essential to residents' health levels. The Chinese government implemented a health reform in 2009 to strengthen PHCIs through increased fiscal inputs. However, how efficiently these inputs were converted into PHCIs' services remains unclear. We aimed to examine the efficiency of PHCIs' medical services and investigate if any changes o…
Conceptualizing maternal mental health in rural Ghana
In low- and middle-income countries, maternal mental health needs remain neglected, and common mental disorders during pregnancy and after birth are routinely associated with hormonal changes. The psycho-social and spiritual components of childbirth are often downplayed. A qualitative study was conducted as part of a wider realist evaluation on health systems responsiveness to examine the interrelationships between pregnant and postnatal women, t…
Implementation science research priorities for Universal Health Coverage
Delphi studies are rapidly gaining prominence in global health research. However, researchers’ modifications to the Delphi method are often not well-described or justified, limiting opportunities to systematically learn from these studies when the methods are applied to other topics and settings. This paper aims to describe an approach to implementing a modified Delphi study and reflect on the research process in the context of a multicountry stu…
Knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward depression among people living with depression in Vietnam
Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT06456775. Registered June 13, 2024 - Retrospectively registered, https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06456775?cond=depression%26intr=Tele-SSM%26rank=1
The role of the market in health systems responsiveness
We critically interrogate the current conceptualisation of health systems responsiveness in light of ongoing political, economic, and health system transitions occurring in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), and call for a nuanced, contemporaneous, and expanded understanding of the concept. Drawing on key work on health economics and healthcare markets, we unpack the economic and health systems transitions that LMICs have experienced …
A critical review of literature and a conceptual framework for organizing and researching urban health and community health services in low- and middle-income countries
Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are rapidly urbanizing, and in response to this, there is an expansion in the body of scholarship and significant policy interest in urban healthcare provision. The idea and the reality of ‘urban advantage’ have meant that health research in LMICs has disproportionately focused on health and healthcare provision in rural contexts and is yet to sufficiently engage with urban health as actively. We contend t…
Leveraging digital health initiatives to enhance the effectiveness, equity and responsiveness of health systems
Mental health stigma and health-seeking behaviors amongst pregnant women in Vietnam
Addressing mental health-related stigma could influence the decision of disclosure and health-seeking behaviors, which could in turn improve responsiveness of the local health system to the needs of pregnant women with mental health needs, by offering prompt attention, a wide range of choices, and improved communication. Potential interventions to decrease stigma and improve access to mental healthcare for pregnant women in Vietnam should target …
Understanding the barriers to integrating maternal and mental health at primary health care in Vietnam
The prevalence of common perinatal mental disorders in Vietnam ranges from 16.9% to 39.9%, and substantial treatment gaps have been identified at all levels. This paper explores constraints to the integration of maternal and mental health services at the primary healthcare level and the implications for the health system’s responsiveness to the needs and expectations of pregnant women with mental health conditions in Vietnam. As part of the RESPO…
A critical analysis of newspaper accounts of violence against doctors in India
This paper presents a critical analysis of newspaper articles (N = 60) published in a leading vernacular newspaper about violence against doctors in India. Adopting a theoretical perspective that considers 'news as a cultural practice,' a qualitative content analysis was conducted to examine how the phenomenon is framed and presented in the news, i.e., what is problematized, what causal links are drawn or hinted at, what moral stance is taken or …
Stewardship and governance of the medical profession and the salience of trust
This paper presents a socio-historical and comparative analysis of the regulatory approach to medical practice in two countries with distinctly different health systems in different socio-political and cultural contexts i.e., United Kingdom (UK) and India. The analysis examines if and how the policy approaches have differed or have been similar in the two countries and what has influenced the shape of these policies. Recognising the centrality of…
What can one legitimately expect from a health system? A conceptual analysis and a proposal for research and action
In 2007, the WHO proposed the Building Blocks Framework and articulated ‘responsiveness’ as one of the four goals for health systems. While researchers have studied and measured health systems responsiveness since, several aspects of the concept remain unexamined, including, understanding the notion of ‘legitimate expectations’—a notion central to the definition of responsiveness. We begin this analysis by providing a conceptual overview of how ‘…
We can't expect much”
Responsiveness centres on understanding peoples' ‘legitimate’ expectations of their health system. • Healthcare-related expectations are shaped at the intersection of social, temporal, and spatial ‘locations’. • Expectations are also shaped by social norms, and market-driven practices and forces in the health system. • There is a need for health system actors to consider the impact of market forces on responsive care provision. • Active citizen p…
How social norms and values shape household healthcare expenditures and resource allocation
We present a novel perspective on thinking about and studying healthcare spending in contexts where few health-related financial risk protection mechanisms exist and where out-of-pocket spending by households is the norm. Drawing on interviews conducted across 20 villages in two states of India, we illustrate and problematize how a complex interplay of social norms and cultural factors underpin spending decisions within households in such context…
Moving from community-based to health centre-based management
Community health worker (CHW) performance is influenced by the way in which management arrangements are configured vis-a-vis the community and health services. While low-/middle-income contexts are changing, the literature provides few examples of country efforts to strategically modify management arrangements to support evolving CHW roles (e.g. chronic disease care) and operating environments (e.g. urbanization). This paper aims to understand th…
Peoples’ expectations of healthcare
Expectations shape how one experiences the healthcare one receives. In this paper we argue that the current conceptualisations of expectations within the healthcare literature have much to gain from the many recent and adjacent conceptual developments in other disciplines. The concept of expectations has been extensively studied across disciplines - we review the key texts on the subject in the business, management, social psychology, and sociolo…
People's care seeking journey for a chronic illness in rural India
Drawing on interviews conducted in 2019-2020, across twenty villages in India, this paper unpacks how people with chronic illness navigate complex care-seeking terrain. We show how the act of seeking care involves navigating through personal, family, social, economic, cultural, and most importantly, difficult health systems spaces-and entails making difficult social, moral, and financial choices. We show how the absence of reliable and accessible…
How do patient feedback systems work in low-income and middle-income countries? Insights from a realist evaluation in Bangladesh
BACKGROUND: Well-functioning patient feedback systems can contribute to improved quality of healthcare and systems accountability. We used realist evaluation to examine patient feedback systems at health facilities in Bangladesh, informed by theories of citizenship and principal-agent relationships. METHODS: We collected and analysed data in two stages, using: document review; secondary analysis of data from publicly available web-portals; in-dep…
Making effective referrals happen
Effective referral is a critical element of a well-functioning health system. While having a good referral policy in place is important, equally important is its effective implementation. Using the implementation of a policy on referral of obstetric emergencies in Shanghai as a case, we illustrate the application of the ‘Inhabited Institutions’ analytical approach for studying policy implementation. In doing so, our study highlights how ‘referral…
Is there an association between public spending on health and choice of healthcare providers across socioeconomic groups in India? - Evidence from a national sample
The distinctive roles of urban community health workers in low- and middle-income countries
Addressing urban health challenges in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) has been hampered by lack of evidence on effective mechanisms for delivering health services to the poor. The urban disadvantaged experience poor health outcomes (often worse than rural counterparts) and face service barriers. While community health workers (CHWs) have been extensively employed in rural communities to address inequities, little attention has been given…
Limits and opportunities to community health worker empowerment
While increasingly the onus is on CHWs and CHW programs to solve the problem of health access, attention should be given to the experiences of CHWs themselves. CHW programs need to move beyond an instrumentalist approach to CHWs, and take a developmental and empowerment perspective when engaging with CHWs. CHW programs should systematically identify disempowering organisational arrangements and take steps to remedy these. Doing so will not only i…
People's care seeking journey for a chronic illness in rural India
Drawing on interviews conducted in 2019-2020, across twenty villages in India, this paper unpacks how people with chronic illness navigate complex care-seeking terrain. We show how the act of seeking care involves navigating through personal, family, social, economic, cultural, and most importantly, difficult health systems spaces-and entails making difficult social, moral, and financial choices. We show how the absence of reliable and accessible…
Is there an association between public spending on health and choice of healthcare providers across socioeconomic groups in India? - Evidence from a national sample
A critical analysis of newspaper accounts of violence against doctors in India
This paper presents a critical analysis of newspaper articles (N = 60) published in a leading vernacular newspaper about violence against doctors in India. Adopting a theoretical perspective that considers 'news as a cultural practice,' a qualitative content analysis was conducted to examine how the phenomenon is framed and presented in the news, i.e., what is problematized, what causal links are drawn or hinted at, what moral stance is taken or …
We can't expect much”
Responsiveness centres on understanding peoples' ‘legitimate’ expectations of their health system. • Healthcare-related expectations are shaped at the intersection of social, temporal, and spatial ‘locations’. • Expectations are also shaped by social norms, and market-driven practices and forces in the health system. • There is a need for health system actors to consider the impact of market forces on responsive care provision. • Active citizen p…
How social norms and values shape household healthcare expenditures and resource allocation
We present a novel perspective on thinking about and studying healthcare spending in contexts where few health-related financial risk protection mechanisms exist and where out-of-pocket spending by households is the norm. Drawing on interviews conducted across 20 villages in two states of India, we illustrate and problematize how a complex interplay of social norms and cultural factors underpin spending decisions within households in such context…
Making effective referrals happen
Effective referral is a critical element of a well-functioning health system. While having a good referral policy in place is important, equally important is its effective implementation. Using the implementation of a policy on referral of obstetric emergencies in Shanghai as a case, we illustrate the application of the ‘Inhabited Institutions’ analytical approach for studying policy implementation. In doing so, our study highlights how ‘referral…
How does context influence performance of community health workers in low- and middle-income countries? Evidence from the literature
BACKGROUND: Community health workers (CHWs) are increasingly recognized as an integral component of the health workforce needed to achieve public health goals in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Many factors intersect to influence CHW performance. A systematic review with a narrative analysis was conducted to identify contextual factors influencing performance of CHWs. METHODS: We searched six databases for quantitative, qualitative, and…
Gender relations and women's reproductive health in South Sudan
BACKGROUND: In South Sudan, women disproportionately bear the burden of morbidity and mortality related to sexual and reproductive health, with a maternal mortality ratio of 789 deaths per 100,000 live births. DESIGN: A qualitative study was conducted to analyze how gendered social relations among the Fertit people affect women's ability to exercise control over their reproductive lives and thereby their sexual and reproductive health. Transcript…
Optimising the benefits of community health workers’ unique position between communities and the health sector
Community health workers (CHWs) have a unique position between communities and the health sector. The strength of CHWs' relationships with both sides influences their motivation and performance. This qualitative comparative study aimed at understanding similarities and differences in how relationships between CHWs, communities and the health sector were shaped in different Sub-Saharan African settings. The study demonstrates a complex interplay o…
Social norms and family planning decisions in South Sudan
The sexual and reproductive health programmes in WBeG should work with and leverage existing and emerging social norms on spacing in their health promotion activities. Campaigns should focus on promoting a family ideal in which children become the object of parental investment, rather than labour to till the land - instead of focusing directly or solely on reducing family size. The conditions are right in WBeG and in South Sudan for public health…
Limits and opportunities to community health worker empowerment
While increasingly the onus is on CHWs and CHW programs to solve the problem of health access, attention should be given to the experiences of CHWs themselves. CHW programs need to move beyond an instrumentalist approach to CHWs, and take a developmental and empowerment perspective when engaging with CHWs. CHW programs should systematically identify disempowering organisational arrangements and take steps to remedy these. Doing so will not only i…
What is health systems responsiveness? Review of existing knowledge and proposed conceptual framework
Responsiveness is a key objective of national health systems. Responsive health systems anticipate and adapt to existing and future health needs, thus contributing to better health outcomes. Of all the health systems objectives, responsiveness is the least studied, which perhaps reflects lack of comprehensive frameworks that go beyond the normative characteristics of responsive services. This paper contributes to a growing, yet limited, knowledge…
Key strategies to improve systems for managing patient complaints within health facilities – what can we learn from the existing literature
BACKGROUND: Information from patient complaints - a widely accepted measure of patient satisfaction with services - can inform improvements in service quality, and contribute towards overall health systems performance. While analyses of data from patient complaints received much emphasis, there is limited published literature on key interventions to improve complaint management systems. OBJECTIVES: The objectives are two-fold: first, to synthesis…
Making a Case for the Critical Examination of Assignments of Responsibilities in the Reproductive Realm
Drawing on interviews with purposefully selected informants ( n = 44) and on focus group discussions ( n = 5), this article critically examines and reflects upon the gendered assignments of responsibilities in the reproductive realm, in the context of South Sudan. Through this examination, it provides insight into the social practices of assigning and apportioning responsibilities in the reproductive realm; it exposes the nature of social relatio…
‘You have a child who will call you “mama” ’
BACKGROUND: Pregnancy amongst adolescent girls is common in many parts of the world. The dominant discourse in public health unquestioningly paints this as a problem; it does not pay sufficient attention to girls' views. OBJECTIVES: This paper presents a critical account of adolescent South Sudanese girls' reasons for and explanations of childbearing. It discusses their experiences and views on childbearing and attempts to explain their reproduct…
The distinctive roles of urban community health workers in low- and middle-income countries
Addressing urban health challenges in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) has been hampered by lack of evidence on effective mechanisms for delivering health services to the poor. The urban disadvantaged experience poor health outcomes (often worse than rural counterparts) and face service barriers. While community health workers (CHWs) have been extensively employed in rural communities to address inequities, little attention has been given…
How do patient feedback systems work in low-income and middle-income countries? Insights from a realist evaluation in Bangladesh
BACKGROUND: Well-functioning patient feedback systems can contribute to improved quality of healthcare and systems accountability. We used realist evaluation to examine patient feedback systems at health facilities in Bangladesh, informed by theories of citizenship and principal-agent relationships. METHODS: We collected and analysed data in two stages, using: document review; secondary analysis of data from publicly available web-portals; in-dep…
Making effective referrals happen
Effective referral is a critical element of a well-functioning health system. While having a good referral policy in place is important, equally important is its effective implementation. Using the implementation of a policy on referral of obstetric emergencies in Shanghai as a case, we illustrate the application of the ‘Inhabited Institutions’ analytical approach for studying policy implementation. In doing so, our study highlights how ‘referral…
Is there an association between public spending on health and choice of healthcare providers across socioeconomic groups in India? - Evidence from a national sample
Moving from community-based to health centre-based management
Community health worker (CHW) performance is influenced by the way in which management arrangements are configured vis-a-vis the community and health services. While low-/middle-income contexts are changing, the literature provides few examples of country efforts to strategically modify management arrangements to support evolving CHW roles (e.g. chronic disease care) and operating environments (e.g. urbanization). This paper aims to understand th…
Peoples’ expectations of healthcare
Expectations shape how one experiences the healthcare one receives. In this paper we argue that the current conceptualisations of expectations within the healthcare literature have much to gain from the many recent and adjacent conceptual developments in other disciplines. The concept of expectations has been extensively studied across disciplines - we review the key texts on the subject in the business, management, social psychology, and sociolo…
People's care seeking journey for a chronic illness in rural India
Drawing on interviews conducted in 2019-2020, across twenty villages in India, this paper unpacks how people with chronic illness navigate complex care-seeking terrain. We show how the act of seeking care involves navigating through personal, family, social, economic, cultural, and most importantly, difficult health systems spaces-and entails making difficult social, moral, and financial choices. We show how the absence of reliable and accessible…
Stewardship and governance of the medical profession and the salience of trust
This paper presents a socio-historical and comparative analysis of the regulatory approach to medical practice in two countries with distinctly different health systems in different socio-political and cultural contexts i.e., United Kingdom (UK) and India. The analysis examines if and how the policy approaches have differed or have been similar in the two countries and what has influenced the shape of these policies. Recognising the centrality of…
What can one legitimately expect from a health system? A conceptual analysis and a proposal for research and action
In 2007, the WHO proposed the Building Blocks Framework and articulated ‘responsiveness’ as one of the four goals for health systems. While researchers have studied and measured health systems responsiveness since, several aspects of the concept remain unexamined, including, understanding the notion of ‘legitimate expectations’—a notion central to the definition of responsiveness. We begin this analysis by providing a conceptual overview of how ‘…
We can't expect much”
Responsiveness centres on understanding peoples' ‘legitimate’ expectations of their health system. • Healthcare-related expectations are shaped at the intersection of social, temporal, and spatial ‘locations’. • Expectations are also shaped by social norms, and market-driven practices and forces in the health system. • There is a need for health system actors to consider the impact of market forces on responsive care provision. • Active citizen p…
How social norms and values shape household healthcare expenditures and resource allocation
We present a novel perspective on thinking about and studying healthcare spending in contexts where few health-related financial risk protection mechanisms exist and where out-of-pocket spending by households is the norm. Drawing on interviews conducted across 20 villages in two states of India, we illustrate and problematize how a complex interplay of social norms and cultural factors underpin spending decisions within households in such context…
Leveraging digital health initiatives to enhance the effectiveness, equity and responsiveness of health systems
Mental health stigma and health-seeking behaviors amongst pregnant women in Vietnam
Addressing mental health-related stigma could influence the decision of disclosure and health-seeking behaviors, which could in turn improve responsiveness of the local health system to the needs of pregnant women with mental health needs, by offering prompt attention, a wide range of choices, and improved communication. Potential interventions to decrease stigma and improve access to mental healthcare for pregnant women in Vietnam should target …
Understanding the barriers to integrating maternal and mental health at primary health care in Vietnam
The prevalence of common perinatal mental disorders in Vietnam ranges from 16.9% to 39.9%, and substantial treatment gaps have been identified at all levels. This paper explores constraints to the integration of maternal and mental health services at the primary healthcare level and the implications for the health system’s responsiveness to the needs and expectations of pregnant women with mental health conditions in Vietnam. As part of the RESPO…
A critical analysis of newspaper accounts of violence against doctors in India
This paper presents a critical analysis of newspaper articles (N = 60) published in a leading vernacular newspaper about violence against doctors in India. Adopting a theoretical perspective that considers 'news as a cultural practice,' a qualitative content analysis was conducted to examine how the phenomenon is framed and presented in the news, i.e., what is problematized, what causal links are drawn or hinted at, what moral stance is taken or …
Identifying implementation science research and policy priorities to advance universal health coverage
Despite efforts to advance universal health coverage (UHC) in different contexts, evidence gaps remain, and implementation science has been underused to address these gaps and determine ‘what works’. The study aimed to establish a research agenda that could guide future research by identifying implementation science research priorities to advance UHC. A three-round modified Delphi study design with a multi-country panel was employed. Initial impl…
Political science (25 works) · Global Maternal and Child Health (19 works) · Medicine (18 works) · Economic growth (17 works) · Economics (16 works) · Sociology (16 works) · Health care (15 works) · Business (13 works) · Nursing (12 works) · Psychology (12 works)