(A) Health situation of India:
- Balanced diet and good medical treatment are the two aspects necessary for good health.
- It is quite obvious that a healthy mother can give birth to a wealthy child. However, in India, 50% of females between the age of 15 and 49 suffer from iron deficiency and anaemia. Out of this 19% women die due to lack of nutritive food.
(B) Life expectancy and infant mortality:
- The average life expectancy of the people of a country is an important indicator of people’s health.
- In 1951, the life expectancy of an average Indian was 32 years. With increasing awareness for balanced diet, intake of nutritional food and good treatment the life expectancy increased to 63.5 years in 2011.
- The infant mortality rate was 146 in 1951 which fell to 44 in 2012.
(C) Rural health:
- Even today, 70% of India’s total population lives in villages. Contrary to this only 1/5th of the total number of hospitals of the country are in rural areas. As a result, the rural areas are deprived of necessary medical services. One can see a vast difference between the medical services available in rural and urban areas.
- Rural areas do not have specialists like child specialists (Peadiatrist), specialist for woman (Gynaecologists) anesthetist, eye specialist (Ophthalmologists) like M.D., M.S. and other such highly qualified doctors. Hence, rural population cannot avail these treatments on time in their vicinities.
(D) Solution:
- Problems related to better health and hygiene can be solved by the spread of education and expansion and spread of health services.
- The World Bank Report shows that India spends 4.4% on health out of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP), while America spends 20.3% and China 12.5%. This means that India is spending a very less amount on the health of its citizens as compared to developed nations.
- Indian Government is consistently increasing the expenditure on health. This will help her build a healthy nation by expanding and extending health services even to the rural areas.
