India is known for its high class medical facility with low cost. People from abroad come to India for their treatment. The “so-called” high end medication facility in India has not bothered to treat or take a mere notice of their own people who die with lack of (proper) medication and doctors, both in cities and rural areas.
The primary diseases that are haunting India are many and the few I managed to collect are:
Tuberculosis: Approximately 1.8 million new cases of which about 0.8 million are highly infectious smear positive are reported every year. About 4.17 lakh people die of TB every year in the country. The degenerate work culture within the primary health system is evident across India. In many primary health care and sub-centres visited in India, the health staffs fail to regularly turn up for duty. Patients who come to consume their TB medicine under the supervision of staff in the DOTS programme have to return without it, or wait for hours.
The absence of drugs for other simultaneous health problems leaves patients dissatisfied with the services they have received. Many government doctors are engaged in private practice and lower-ranking staff like the pharmacist and watchmen are engaged in the racket of injecting saline injections and charging patients for it. It is these factors that drag down the success of the TB programme. The failure to reach out to new TB cases is starkly evident in the neglected areas inhabited by the tribal people.
Leprosy: The leprosy prevalence rate for the country as a whole is estimated at 2.4 per 10,000 population during 2004.
HIV/AIDS: India accounts for 10 percent of the global HIV burden. An estimated 4.58 million men, women and children were living with HIV/AIDS in the country at the end of 2002, with an adult (15-49 years) prevalence rate of 0.8 percent.
Cataract/Blindness: Government is implementing the National Blindness Control Programme. About 4.5 million cataracts operation per year up to 2007 are envisaged.
Cancer: There are about 20-25 lakh cases of cancer and approximately 7-9 lakh cases come up every year. During the Tenth plan, the National Caner Control Programme has been made a Centrally Sponsored Scheme. There are various kinds like breast cancer, uterine cancer, mouth cancer, lung cancer and many more.
Filaria: It is identified in the 13 districts of 7 endemic states, namely, AP, Bihar, Kerala, Orissa, TN, UP, WB, covering about 41 million infected persons.
Environmental Sanitation Problems: Presently, 85 % of rural and 95% of the urban population has access to safe drinking water.
Kala-Azar: It is serious public health problem in Bihar and West Bengal. Kala-Azar cases reported- 17,806 cases with 72 deaths (’86); 14,753 with 150 deaths (2000); 12,120 cases with 212 deaths in 2001; ) and 11845 cases with 164 deaths in 2002. However, up to April 2003, 4161 cases and 49 deaths were reported.
Kala-azar can cause no or few symptoms but typically it is associated with fever, loss of appetite (anorexia), fatigue, enlargement of the liver, spleen and nodes and suppression of the bone marrow. Kala-azar also increases the risk of other secondary infections. The first oral drug found to be effective for treating kala-azar is miltefosine.
The term “kala-azar” comes from India where it is the Hindi for black fever. The disease is also known as Indian leishmaniasis, visceral leishmaniasis, leishmania infection, dumdum fever, black sickness, and black fever.
Dengue (Haemorrhagic) fever: It is a fatal viral disease caused by female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. First reported in Delhi in 1996 with 10,252 infected cases and 423 deaths. In 2001, 3,188 cases reported and 53 deaths. It is spreading to new areas.
Japanese Encephalitis: It caused by flavivirus group. In the last five years, it has acquired serious magnitude in 11 states. In 1995, 2974 cases with 942 deaths and in 2002, out of 1464 cases 361 deaths, were reported.
Iodine deficiency disorders: About 100-150 micrograms of iodine is required daily for normal growth. About 71 million people are suffering from iodine deficiency.
Nutritional Problems: The major problems such as Protein Energy Malnutrition, Nutritional Anaemia, and Vitamin A deficiency disorder cases great morbidity and mortality amongst the children and young.
Immunization: The Universal Immunization Programme is aimed at reduction in mortality and morbidity among infants, younger children and pregnant mothers. Pulse polio immunization programme is for polio eradication. The incidence has come down from 4320 cases in 98 to 2810 in ’99. Pneumonia and diarrhoea are the other leading causes of death of infants.
Government, with the help of doctors and primary health centres should work hard to control the primary health centre. Because only Government can help the suffering poor to get medicines and health care facilities at a lower cost instead of spending lakhs of money in private hospital, not be affordable to everyone.
The issue of health care is one of the most alarming one in the country. A slow but steady progress in health research and communication will ensure the best of health and health care in India.
Credits: References/Credits:
http://www.earthinstitute.columbia.edu/cgsd/documents/bajpai_primaryhealth.pdf
www.emedicinehealth.com
www.globalforumhealth.org