HEALTH IN INDIA.

Valentina: Hi

Todas: Hi

Valentina: hey did you heard about a man in India who demanded one of the most popular hospitals in
the zone?

Daniela: oh, yeah I read it in a newspaper. He was working in his farm and felt down. He felt very bad
at the moment and his leg didn´t look well.

Valentina: yeah, I heard that he spent two hours to arrive to the nearest hospital since he lives in a rural
area and in India this areas has no or limited access to hospitals and clinics.

Daniela G: This is so bad because I heard that the 70% of the population lives in rural areas.

Juliana: yeah and most of this population usually relies on alternative medicine.

Daniela: there are wide gaps between the rural and the urban populations and its healthcare system
which worsen the problem.

Valentina: like on the case of the farmer, when he arrived there was a lot of people waiting to be
attended

Daniela: and the hospital was in too bad conditions. In the newspaper there were a lot of images
showing it was dirty, and there was no room for that number of people.

Juliana: but that is bad for health no?

Daniela G: yes, having so many people in one place can lead to diseases being dispersed and people
getting worse

Valentina: as well as the cleanliness of the place. Hygiene is poor in most regions so food and water-
borne illnesses are common.

Daniela: and what about the order of the hospitals?

Juliana: well, actually most of the patients pay their hospital visits and doctors’ appointments at the
moment

Daniela G: only 5% of Indians are covered by health insurance policies.

Valentina: and in urban centers there are numerous private hospitals and clinics which provide a better
quality healthcare

Juliana: they have better doctors, preventive medicine, and quality clinics which are a result of better
profitability.
Daniela: but that has more to do with the state of the country in which you are, because the medicine
there is divided by states. Each one has its own rules to fulfill the right to health

Valentina: then, what does the government take over?

Daniela G: The central government is responsible for international health treaties, medical education,
prevention of food adulteration, and family planning programs.

Daniela: It also sets national health policy including the regulatory framework and supports the states.

Valentina: then, State governments provide healthcare services and health education, while the central
government offers administrative and technical services.

Juliana: then, India has a vast health care system, there remain many differences in quality between
rural and urban areas

Valentina: as well as between public and private health care.

Juliana: what differences do they have?

Daniela G: in private health care there is a lot of people who is practicing to exercise the profession. An
estimated 40 percent of private care is provided by the students. This aspect of health care in India
makes it a popular destination for medical tourists.

Daniela: and community health centers are managed and maintained by state governments and are
required to have four medical specialists supported by 21 paramedical

Valentina: and other staff, with 30 beds, laboratory, X-ray, and other facilities.

Daniela: and what about India’s economy? Does it lead to something in health?

Juliana: yeah, while the opportunity to enter the market is very ripe, India still spends only around 4.2%
of its national GDP towards healthcare goods and services

Daniela G: that too low, USA spends like the 18% of it.

Juliana: and for primary healthcare, the Indian government spends only about 30% of the country’s total
healthcare Budget.

Valentina: The need for skilled medical graduates continues to grow, especially in rural areas which fail
to attract new graduates because of financial reasons

Juliana: and the household out-of-pocket health spending was 69.1 percent of total health
expenditures, making this a major component of the financing system.

Daniela: oh last day I was searching and I found that According to the Indian Brand Equity Foundation
(IBEF), India is the third-largest exporter of pharmaceutical products in terms of volume.

Daniela G: yes, and around 80% of the market is composed of generic low-cost drugs which seem to
be the major driver of this industry
Valentina: According to The Economic Times, the medical devices sector is seen as the most promising
area for future development by foreign and regional investors

Juliana: yes but I read that the government made a program whose name is the national urban health
mission National Urban Health Mission which pays individuals for healthcare premiums, which have
proven ineffective to date.

Daniela: but what about other programs?

Juliana: well, there is the Community Health Insurance program for the population below poverty line
(like Medicaid in the US)

Valentina: and Life Insurance Company (LIC) policy for senior citizens (like Medicare in the US).

Daniela G: but I think one of the most important programs is the World Health Organization (WHO) is
the United Nations’ specialized agency for Health

Daniela: oh yes, I heard about it. Is like an inter-governmental organization

Daniela G: is responsible for providing leadership on global health matters, shaping the health research
agenda, setting norms and standards, providing technical support to countries and other things but I
didn’t know that India was part of it.

Valentina: yes, India became a party to the WHO Constitution on 1948 I think.

Juliana: hope all this programs work because since independence public health problems like malaria,
tuberculosis, leprosy, high maternal and child mortality and lately, human immunodeficiency virus have
increased.

Daniela G: yes, I think is helping since Social development coupled with scientific advances and health
care has led to a decrease in the mortality rates and birth rates

Daniela: yes, but we have to take into account that children under five are born underweight and 7% of
them die before their fifth birthday.

Valentina: Sadly, only a small percentage of the population has access to quality sanitation,

Juliana: it is imperative that the government and community collectively rise to the occasion and face
these challenges simultaneously, inclusively and sustainably

Daniela G: it would help the country in the social, environmental and economical areas helping it grow
with a very good sustainability.