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प्रश्न
In India, it is often said that we are unable to provide health services for all because the government does not have enough money and facilities. After reading the above left-hand column, do you think this is true? Discuss.
उत्तर
Yes. It is true that India has progressed a lot in the healthcare system since its independence.
- The healthcare facilities we had in 1950, were insufficient for the population.
- Even today when the infrastructure of health care has developed and increased tremendously, it does not saturate the needs of our growing population.
- Our healthcare system in rural areas is not in a state of meeting the needs of the people.
- There is a shortage of government hospitals and healthcare centres in rural areas. Even in the cities, we can observe the queue of patients.
- These poor people can not bear the cost of treatment in private hospitals.
- India is investing in healthcare even less than the average of south Asian countries.
APPEARS IN
संबंधित प्रश्न
In this chapter, you have read that health is a wider concept than illness. Look at this quote from the Constitution and explain the terms ‘living standard’ and ‘public health’ in your own words.
Very Short Type Question:
What do people in a democratic country expect the government?
Very Short Type Question:
What problem do rural people face whenever they come in a grip of an illness?
Very Short Type Question:
What do we need to prevent and treat illnesses?
Short Type Question:
What are the negative aspects of healthcare in India?
The story of Hakim Seikh
Hakim Seikh was a member of the Paschim Banga Khet Mazdoor Samity (PBKMS), an organisation of agricultural labourers in West Bengal. One evening in 1992, he accidentally fell off a running train and suffered head injuries. He was in a very serious condition and needed immediate treatment.
He was taken to a government hospital in Kolkata but they refused to admit him because they did not have a spare bed. Another hospital did not have the facility or the specialised doctors necessary for his treatment. In this way, he spent 14 hours in a critical state and was taken to eight different government hospitals, but none of them admitted him.
Finally, he was admitted to a private hospital, where he received treatment. He spent a lot of money on his treatment. Angry and upset over the indifferent attitude of all the hospitals that refused to admit him, Hakim Seikh and PBKMS filed a case in court.
Read the story given above. Then imagine that you are a Judge in the court. What would you say to Hakim Seikh?
Can you provide a title to these columns?
| India has the largest number of medical colleges in the world and is among the largest producers of doctors. Approximately more than 30,000 new doctors qualify every year. | Most doctors settle in urban areas People in rural areas have to travel long distances to reach a doctor. The number of doctors with respect to the population is much less in rural areas. |
| Healthcare facilities have grown substantially over the years. In 1950, there were only 2,717 government hospitals in India. In 1991, there were 11,174 hospitals. In 2017, the number grew to 23,583. | About five lakh people die from tuberculosis every year. This number is almost unchanged since Independence! Almost two million cases of malaria are reported every year and this number isn’t decreasing. |
| India gets a large number of medical tourists from many countries. They come for treatment in some of the hospitals in India that compare with the best in the world. | We are not able to provide clean drinking water to all. 21per cent of all communicable diseases is water-borne. For example, diarrhoea, worms, hepatitis, etc. |
| India is the third largest producer of medicines in the world and is also a large exporter of medicines. | Half of all children in India do not get adequate food to eat and are undernourished. |
