Drawing on evidence from the past morbidity and health surveys (1986-87 to 2004) and consumer expenditure surveys (1993-94 to 2004-05) of the National Sample Survey Organisation, this paper argues that public provisions of healthcare in India has dwindled to new lows. Outpatient and hospitalisation care in India in the past 20 years has declined drastically, leading to the emergence of private care players in a predominant way. While healthcare costs have shot up manifold in private provisioning, government health facilities are increasingly compelling patients to look for private outlets for procuring drugs and diagnostics. Due to these developments, millions of households are incurring catastrophic payments and are being pushed below poverty lines every year.