Indians in Mirror View of a Common Man Part III: Healthcare Delivery in India

by Laljee Verma

'Health is wealth' is an old epithet. It applies to all societies and at all time. During ancient times India had a well-developed healthcare delivery system. This is quite clear from one of Asoka's edicts, Charaka and Sushruta Samhitas. The Ayurvedic system suffered at the hands of Muslim Rulers, and Unani system introduced during the Mughal period suffered after colonization of the subcontinent by European powers when they introduced the allopathic system. It gained greater acceptance as it was based on verifiable scientific facts, and scientific standardization. During and after independence India formed many Committees to decide strategies for universal healthcare. Healthcare delivery system was proposed to be based on primary healthcare and structuring was instituted on the lines of Primary Health Centres to cater to the need at the village level. Due to tardy progress in composite development of rural areas this system could not develop as was envisaged. Thus developed a wide gap in composite healthcare delivery, and the gap was quickly filled with mushrooming of private hospitals and teaching institutions, many not meeting standards. But wide-ranging corruption made the matters worse as these institutions were granted credibility though they lacked in quality. Privatization has escalated healthcare costs and being profit oriented are mostly concentrated in the urban and semi-urban areas. Even after seven decades of independence Indian villages still lack assured power supply and connectivity. In such a situation, it is necessary to have a national debate and find the best solution in an objective manner with long-term plans. Technical manpower is highly deficient and the brunt is born at the village level. Most importantly, public hospitals have deteriorated. There is another important aspect, and that is a lackadaisical approach to the preventive aspect of healthcare. Water and air pollution cause greater morbidity and mortality, but resource allocation is higher on the curative aspect of healthcare delivery; and lifestyle diseases than on preventive strategies. Lack of stricter control and monitoring adds to morbidity in the society. Ingress of pollutants leads to deteriorated health among people. Sub-clinical mercury pollution may be the reason for violent and antisocial behaviour. This part of the book discusses the reasons and possible causes of deficient healthcare delivery in India. The very fact that many committees were formed at different time-frame clearly indicate that Indian healthcare education and delivery system is yet to find a stable platform.

89 pages, Paperback

Published December 29, 2018