MEDICAL HEALTH CARE IN INDIA

History

The health care in India comes under the National Health Policy and the main motive of this
policy has to raise the level of nutrition and the improvement of public health. Central
Government focuses on this policy by major health care schemes in five years plan. Ministry of
health and family welfare manages both administrative and technical services for the health
sector. The sixth five years plan committed to provide health care services to all by 2000 and the
expenditure in this period varies from states to states. The per capita expenditure was very law
comparing to other countries like china. The total expenditure in the health care in the seventh
plan was 33.9 billion which approximately the double of the sixth plan. The expenditure in
health care grew proportionally to GDP but the percentage of the total outlay has decreased, from
3.3 % in the first five year plan to 1.9 % in the seventh five years plan. But in the Eight this
percentage had increased to 4.3% of the total plan expenditure.

Comparison of health care between china and India

If we compare the life expectancy between the two countries then we will find a significant
difference. According to 2004 data the avg. life expectancy in china was 72 and it was 63 in
India .In 2000 maternal death rate Per 1,00,000 women in china was 56 on the other hand it was
540 in India. In 2004 out of 1000 new born children 27 died before their first birthday in china
and 58 died in India. These data shows the level of health care India have.

Objectives of the Government in Eleventh five years plan

 Reducing Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) to 1 per1000 live births.

 Reducing Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) to 28 per 1000 live births.
 Reducing Total Fertility Rate (TFR) to 2.1.
 Providing clean drinking water for all by 2009 and ensuring no slip-backs.
 Reducing malnutrition among children of age group 0–3 to half its present level.
 Reducing anaemia among women and girls by50%.
 Raising the sex ratio for age group 0–6 to 935 by 2011–12 and 950 by 2016–17.

The total projected budget for the health & family welfare in Eleventh five years plan was 1.2 lakh crores
which is approximately four times of the tenth five years plan. The expenditure as percentage of the total
government expenditure on health sector in tenth five year plan has decreased from 3.2% to 2.9% which
itself is significant decline.

The major drawback with the public sector health care is their management functioning and efficiency.
Government has to take major steps for this problem instead of only providing new schemes in every
plan.

Nikhil Singhal