Health Care in India

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Statement of the Problem
India has received a lot of plans, proposals, and papers sixty years after independence which attempt to provide solutions to health issues facing the health sector. However, health care continues to witness a lot of problems despite an increase in economic growth. The slogans of World Health Organization such as ‘Health for All’ have not yielded any fruits. India continues to experience poor utilization of health care facilities and accessibility to healthcare.The purpose of this project is to find the problems facing the healthcare sector and the solution to the problems (Rao, Mohan, et al. 2004).
Problems Facing the Healthcare Sector
A Large proportion of the population faces nonuniform, expensive and inaccessibility to health care service. The data generated from several types of research indicate that 70% of the population cannot access health specialists. The hospitals being run by the government offer poor quality services, therefore, the rich population prefers visiting private health centers. The extent to which health utilization is done is recorded to be low. Tertiary and secondary level facilities are overloaded while peripheral health facilities are normally underutilized. The causes of underutilization of health resources include lack of accessibility, the high cost of medication, insufficient health specialists and failure of the community to participate in decision making. Poor infrastructure and geographical orientation of the land hinders the penetration of healthcare facilities to the rural areas (Rao, Mohan, et al.

2004).
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The health specialists lack morale of concentrating in their work due to lack of proper housing, lack of schools for the children and underemployment. There is Lack of proper procedures being followed when transferring the health worker frustrates the staff members. The surgeons lack the facilities where they can practice their surgical skills. Inadequate health facilities force the poor people in the society to evade treatments or to either look for unregulated personnel dealing with pharmaceuticals (Rifkin, Susan & Gill 1986).
The health ministry lacks efficient data management and planning system pertaining healthcare services. The MCI, as well as the Nursing Council of India only, concentrates only on quantitative assessment of staff, structural facilities, material and equipment. Contrarily, the main focus should have been directed to quality or either treatment audit. The qualitative analysis encompasses the staff professional skills, administration skills and the quality of health service provision. The diagnostics and the acquisition of medicals are hindered by corrupt officials in the health sector. The administrative departments such as CMHOs, BMOs, and Directorate of Medical and Health lack the necessary expertise to exercise their duties.Their self –esteem has been taken away by the political power (Epping-Jordan., et al. 2004).
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Victims of Healthcare Problems
The healthcare related problems have an intense impact on the poor and marginalized people. The poor in the society are not able to access medical care due to the high cost of treatment. The marginalized individuals cannot access because of poor infrastructure and unfavorable geographical terrain. The children experience poor development due to poor maternal care and lack of specialists in the healthcare facilities. Women are also the victims of the poor healthcare problems due to poor management of breast cancer and inefficient antenatal care. The women also are faced with patriarchy and widespread manifestation of the HIV//AIDS due to lack of healthcare civil education. The problems have affected the general public due to the rampant corruptions in various health departments (Epping-Jordan, J. E., et al. 2004).
Effects of Health Problems in India
The health problems in India have contributed largely to malnutrition especially among women. India has recorded the highest number of malnourished women in the world. Malnutrition has an impact on general body health and physical health status. Notably, a lot of women in India have been diagnosed with breast cancer. The WHO estimates approximately 70 percent of cancer incidences will come from India. The wide spread cases of breast cancer are attributed to limited access to health facilities. India has less fully trained oncologists and cancer centers hence women experience a lot of impact of health problems (Vijaya 2010).
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Most areas in India witness poor sanitation coupled with the unhygienic environment. Defecating in the open has opened doors to widespread of diseases such as cholera. There are a lot of mental issues which are associated with depression, stress and lack of self-esteem. The counselors and the psychiatrists are not readily available. As a result, schizophrenia, postnatal depression and psychological stress are common. The rate of suicide due to mental problems is high in India as compared to other countries. The domestic violence among the married individuals is common due to ineffective marriage Counselling facilities.31 percent of women in India have been affected by domestic violence (Rifkin, Susan & Gill 1986).
The spread of HIV/AIDS in India is reported to be high in India. The widespread effects of HIV/AIDS in India are attributed to lack of contraceptives such as condoms. Lack of civil education on the matters of HIV/AIDS contributes to a lot of infections. Inadequate maternal health facilities contribute to reproductive problems and poor child health maternal mortality rates in India is tentatively high as compared to other developing countries. The problems affecting the most Indians are caused by ineffective and inefficient healthcare facilities. Moreover, the health administrative departments and the government are to be blamed for the problem (Reddy, Srinath, ET al.2011).
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Countries and Agencies Aiding Solution
Various countries and private agencies have lent their support to improve the condition of healthcare in India. World Health Organization (WHO) has been in the forefront in eradication healthcare related problems in India. WHO has assisted in the management of healthcare data and prevention of communicable diseases. Developed countries such as United States of America (USA) have contributed to the improvement of health services by donating funds. The USA has also provided training services to doctors who are then sent to India. Additionally, the medical equipment which is utilized in India is donated from countries such as Germany. The United Nations (UN) programs have been initiated in various parts of India .the programs are aimed at bringing equality in treatment and eliminating patriarchy. Some of the UN programs attempts to provide solutions to poor healthcare facilities by constructing modern healthcare centers (Vijaya 2010).
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Solutions to the Problems
An effort must be made to solve the problems facing healthcare systems in India by integrating innovative programs. The programs are aimed at reducing the level of corruption, eliminating staff complacency and inefficiency, improving healthcare facilities and improving cohesion between private and public health sectors. Additionally, the programs will ensure that there is equality in service provision and that every citizen can access medical services (Rao, Mohan, et al. 2004).
The healthcare workers need to be motivated in their service provision. The intuitive will be achieved by ensuring that all the Medical and Health workers are provided by proper housing facilities. The social amenities such as schools and trading centers should be provided in their vicinity. Allowances must be given to workers providing services in hardship regions. The provision of services in the rural homes must be made compulsory.The concept will ensure that the rural people can access health facilities. The incentives such as cheap housing cost should be implemented (Vijaya 2010).
Modern health facilities must be constructed to accommodate first referral unit (FRU) and Intensive Care Unit (ICU).The facilities should harbor gynecologists, pediatricians as well as the surgeons who will provide efficient service to the public. The rural hospitals should be populated by transferring the skilled staff from the big hospitals to the rural hospitals. The congestion in some hospitals must be reduced by the use of ambulances and mobile surgical services .the ambulances and mobile surgical services will be responsible for solving emergency problems (Reddy, Srinath, et al..2011).
The health administration needs to undergo reforms for efficient services to be provided in the hospitals. The primary, secondary and tertiary health institutions must be linked and be supervised by one professional such as Principal Secretary. The cost of medical service should be reduced to accommodate the poor people in the society. The health experts must do research to come up affordable services. The innovation and advancement in technology will assist in the development affordable medical system (Reddy, Srinath, et al.2011).
Work Cited
Reddy, K. Srinath, et al. “Towards achievement of universal health care in India by 2020: a call to action.” The Lancet 377.9767 (2011): 760-768.
Vijaya, Ramya M. “Medical tourism: Revenue generation or international transfer of healthcare problems?.” Journal of Economic Issues 44.1 (2010): 53-70.
Rao, Mohan, et al. “Human resources for health in India.” The Lancet 377.9765 (2011): 587-598.
Epping-Jordan, J. E., et al. “Improving the quality of health care for chronic conditions.” Quality and safety in health care 13.4 (2004): 299-305.
Rifkin, Susan B., and Gill Walt. “Why health improves: defining the issues concerning ‘comprehensive primary health care’and ‘selective primary health care’.” Social Science & Medicine 23.6 (1986): 559-566.