Tuesday 3 July 2012

Health care facilities in India and it's remedies

Health care in India needs a tremendous boost. In general we find that health care facilities are lagging behind. There are not enough medical hospitals or health care centers, both in rural or urban cities of India which can cater to the populace of our Country.
Secondly the medical care if available has to be affordable and effective. Presently it is pathetic, and unavailable. Even where it is available the facilities are such, that nobody can either afford them or will go away not satisfied.
The rural healthcare is atrocious to say the least, with shortage of doctors, shortage of buildings, bad infrastructure, no blood bank, no operation theater, no proper electricity facilities. All this needs to improve at the earliest. The villagers' in case, they don't get proper facility in their village, have to head for the city to get themselves treated, where they are exploited totally at the hands of 'touts' and their doctors.

Now coming to urban health care. The hospital chains are charging exorbitant rates, are forcing the patients to undergo unnecessary tests, all in the name of health care, and proper treatment. Whether   the patient actually needs the blood tests, the X-Rays, the numerous ultra sounds prescribed. All this make the patient almost penniless. There is no proper insurance scheme or any other relief scheme or social security or health for all scheme, available in India to cover the enormous health bills raised by the private health care available here.




                                       

Recently the Prime Minister announced that the Govt was studying a social security health scheme in India which would cater to provide economical health care to all. More medical centers on the pattern of AIIMS would be opened at various small cities like Rishikesh, Raipur, Jodhpur, Patna, Bhopal and Bhubaneshwar. These would be opened under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthiya Suraksha Yojana. Shri Manmohan Singh was speaking at Pudducherry before the Jawaharlal Institute of Post  graduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) at it's Third Convocation a few days ago, on June 30.
The PM further said that 'the health of a Nation depends on the health of its people.' He lamented the fact that people still have to pay two - thirds of health expenditure out of their own pockets, and a large part was spent on the purchase of expensive drugs.
The PM also spoke on the National Rural Health Mission Scheme which was seeking to cater to the rural health of the Country. It was involved in providing health care services to rural India.
On the same pattern, he proposed the setting up of a National Urban Health Mission to cater to the urban population of India in various metros and smaller towns.
He also talked about setting up a Unified Health Mission on the pattern of a National scheme. He wanted 1 doctor for every 1000 people as against 1 doctor every 2000 people today, or even more. The position was alarming but improving, he said.
Let's hope the PM formulates his 'health for all' scheme much on the pattern of Food Security Bill and Right to Education to all. India's health depends on its people, and the sooner it improves, the better. Cheers!

2 comments:

  1. In India the facilities are very good but they need to improve infrastructure and other things. If India solve some problems then they will easily give all the service to all the area of India.

    Michigan Health Exchange Group

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  2. I like your observations. Improving infrastructure means building good hospitals, health clinics, totally state of the art medical facilities and care, not only in urban cities but also in rural areas, as well as competent people to run those facilities. All this at an affordable price.
    Thanks for your comments. And lets hope India achieves cult status and goes on to become No. 1 in health care....

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