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Health is a fundamental human right, and the government is responsible to provide health care to all people in equal proportions. Various national health schemes and programs have been launched since India's independence in 1947 to improve the health status of people living in
rural areas. There are stark disparities in the healthcare services available to rural and urban Indians. While world-class five-star hospitals have sprung up in various cities across the country, encouraging the new growth industry of medical tourism, facilities in rural India languish. A country-wide study found that less than 50 per cent of primary health centres (PHCs) had a labour room or a laboratory, and less than 20 per cent had a telephone. Less than a third of these centres stocked iron and folic acid, a very cheap but essential drug. Rural healthcare service delivery is, thus, severely compromised.

Despite major advances in medical science, people continue to die in large numbers from preventable illnesses like tuberculosis, gastroenteritis and malaria. Five lakh succumb to tuberculosis alone. Emergency services for delivery complications are unavailable outside cities, and, as a result, maternal death rates in the northern states rival those of sub-Saharan African countries. India accounts for a fourth of all maternal deaths world-wide, and the numbers are increasing. Uttar Pradesh, with its huge population base and very poor health system, contributes a large proportion to the overall preventable mortality and morbidity in the country. But its healthcare delivery system is preoccupied with the pulse-polio campaign and with chasing family planning targets.

NHRM: Platform for Community Health

Recognizing the importance of Health in the process of economic and social development, and improving the quality of life of our citizens, the Government of India launched the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) on 12th April 2005 to provide accessible, affordable and accountable quality health services to the poorest households in the remotest rural regions throughout the country with special focus on 18 states, which have weak public health indicators and/or weak infrastructure.

These 18 states are Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Jammu & Kashmir, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Madhya Pradesh, Nagaland, Orissa, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttaranchal and Uttar Pradesh. The states are required to sign Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Central Government committing 10 per cent for Public Health expenditure in the State Budget each year.

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Dr. Gursharan Singh Kainth started his career as Lecturer at Post Graduate Dept. of Economics, Government College, Gurdaspur, and later at Khalsa College; Amritsar, specializes in Quantitative & Development Economics. Has the distinction of serving Punjab Agricultural Univ, Ludhiana, for more than 2 decades and remained Director-Principal of Saint Soldier Management & Technical Institute, Jalandhar. Currently, heading GAD Institute of Development Studies, Amritsar, a self-financed research institute. Has been honoured with various awards, including Guru Draunacharya Samman, Vijay Rattan Award, etc.
Article posted on December 14, 2008.