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Review of Health Care in India
Review of Health Care in India
Centre for Enquiry into Health and Allied Themes, Research Centre of Anusandhan Trust, Survey No. 2804 & 2805, Aaram Society Road, Vakola, Santacruz East, Mumbai 400055, Maharashtra, India; Ph:(+91-22) 26673154, 26673571; Fax :26673156; Email :cehat@vsnl.com; www.cehat.org
By Centre for Enquiry into Health and Allied Themes Survey No. 2804 & 2805 Aram Society Road Vakola, Santacruz (East) Mumbai - 400 055 Tel. : 91-22-26673571 / 26673154 Fax : 22-26673156 E-mail : cehat@vsnl.com Website : www.cehat.org
CEHAT
ISBN : 81-89042-40-8
Preface
The twenty fifth anniversary of Alma Ata Declaration was observed last year. Along with other countries, India had also formulated various targets to be achieved by the year 2000. However, the achievements were minimal even after half a century of health planning, and most of the goals could not be realized. The health situation in our country continues to be dismal. Infant and Child mortality takes away the life of 2.2 million children every year. The target for 2000 was to reduce Maternal Mortality Ratio to less than 200 per 100,000 live births. However, the MMR remains as high as 407 even today. The most recent estimate of complete immunization coverage indicates that only 54% of all children under age three were fully protected. The number of people dying of Tuberculosis is almost unchanged since Independence and remains at 500,000 every year. 2 million new cases of TB are added each year and the total number of TB patients presently is estimated to be around 14 million, the largest number in any country in the world. India is experiencing a resurgence of various communicable diseases including Diarrhoeal Diseases, Cholera, Malaria, Encephalitis, Kala azar, Dengue and Leptospirosis. The number of cases of Malaria has remained at a high level of around 2 million cases annually since the mid eighties. It is estimated that more than 5 million people are suffering from HIV/AIDS and within a few years India will be overtaking South Africa in having the highest number of HIV/AIDs cases in the world. Meanwhile, the international financial institutions like World Bank, IMF and the World Trade Organization are thrusting their neo liberal economic agenda on the Government of India, with the effect that there is a virtual withdrawal of the state from social service sectors like health and education. Uncontrolled privatisation and the international privatisation of pubic sector and paucity of funds are leading to the collapse of the public health institutions. The patent rule changes and the weakening of the public sector pharmaceutical industries have further deprived the people of essential medicines. There is an escalation of medical expenses on an unprecedented scale and more and more people are denied even primary health care. The situation demands concerted action from civil society organizations, Peoples Health Movements and other concerned groups and movements to pressurize the Government both at the national and state levels to radically alter the way the health services are organized and funded. Priorities are to be changed taking into consideration the health problems affecting the marginalized people and the vulnerable sections of the society. The National Government should also resist the pressure from the International Financial Institutions to further privatize the health sector, since the Indian health sector is one of the most privatized in the world. It is in this context that CEHAT has compiled the volume Review of Health Care in India as an input to support the activities of the Peoples Health Movement-India (Jan Swasthya Abhiyan-JSA). This document is qualitatively and conceptually different from similar books published by other agencies discussing the health situation in India. The articles in the present volume try to analyse and reinterpret the health situation and health statistics from peoples perspective and with a view to strengthen the emerging movement demanding a peoples health policy for our country. The document contains 18 chapters and discusses such varied topics ranging from the