According to the United Nations Development Program’s Human Development Report 2014, in a set of 187 countries, India ranked 135th on the human development index, life expectancy at birth was 66.4 years, under-five mortality rate was 56/1000 live births, and maternal mortality ratio was 200 deaths/100,000 live births, still far behind millennium development goals.
Now to take a look at the problems with health care system in India:
1.Insufficiency of Hospital Beds: Penetration of healthcare infrastructure, much lower than that of developed countries and even lower than the global average, the bed density in the country is 0.7 per 1,000 population, far below the global average of 2.6 and WHO benchmark of 3.5.
2.Shortage of staff: India faces a shortage of about 6 lakhs doctors, one million nurses, 2 lakhs dental surgeons and a large number of paramedical staff.
3.Less government spending on Public health: Government spending on public health- just about 1 per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP), compared to 3 per cent in China and 8.3 percent in the United States.
4.Dependency on Private Hospital: Private sector funding in India’s annual health burden is about 75%. It is amongst the highest in the world in percentage terms. Public spending on the other hand, is amongst the lowest and is even lower than the global average.
5.Neglect of Rural Population: According to health information 31.5% of hospitals and 16% hospital beds are situated in rural areas where 75% of total population resides. Moreover the doctors are also unwilling to serve in rural areas.
6.Neglect of traditional health care system: The health system of India depends almost on imported western models. It has no roots in the culture and tradition of the people.
7.Social Inequality: Rural, hilly and remote areas of the country are under served while in urban areas and cities, health facility is well developed. The SC/ST and the poor people are far away from modern health service.
8.Geography of India: Sub Tropical Climate provides a ground for germination of diseases. Due to a cumulative effect of poverty, population load and climatic factors India’s population is seriously susceptible to diseases.
9.Fragmented Health Information System: Data is incomplete and often it is duplicated.
10.Poor educational status leads to non-utilisation of scanty health services and increase in avoidable risk factors.
11.States under financial constraints cut expenditure on health.
It is our endeavor to build a “Swasth Bharat” by spreading awareness and help fulfill basic health necessities of Indians who still lack primary health care facilities.
