Indian Health Care System - 2011

Indian health care system is in a poor state of affairs. The comparison of birth's attended by skilled health staff as a percentage of total birth (see world bank development indicators below) shows the pathetic state of Indian health care. This data shows Births attended by skilled health staff are the percentage of deliveries attended by personnel trained to give the necessary supervision, care, and advice to women during pregnancy, labor, and the postpartum period; to conduct deliveries on their own; and to care for newborns.

Health care needs to be prioritized by the government. 

This comes after grave consequences that were seen recently in West Bengal (or Paschim Banga) after a hospital fire, and death of an infant due to negligence by hospital staff (allegedly drunk). I totally respect the intention of the government behind the Food Security Bill but these are more pressing and important issues that have been neglected. Food security bill cannot guarantee long term sustenance. The story of the laboratory death best illustrates this. In a biology lab, a female student was looking into the hatching of an egg. The student could see the chick struggling for its life breaking the hard egg shell. Out of emotion, she went ahead and broke the egg shell for a safe delivery. While the new born chicks of all other students survived, the chick of this student did not last even a few minutes. The reason: It did not go through the natural process of evolution. Rather it was assisted and as a result could not adapt to the new surroundings. Food is something every man or woman must know how to fetch for himself or herself. Government should provide opportunities for labor to skill itself and earn. Instead rationing and giving it away would make food loose its value. Medical facilities are something that ought to be catered by the government. The existence of private medical institutes is for profit motives and will not cater to preventive health care requirements.
Even compared to developing countries India fairs very poorly on this Index. A point of worry is skilled staff available during the time of birth. In due course of time, poor economic policies with regard to health care facilities will show up in the growth and development of this country. It is time our government starts focusing on it else the story of GDP growth may be a glorious thing of the past left for the poets and historians to write about.