Health Problems and National Health Policy of India

Health Problems of India:

Every country has its own health problems depending upon the standard of living of its people, size of the population, geographical location of the country, etc. India is a vast country with an area of 3.2 million square kms and a population of 1027 million (2001). The health problems of such a vast country must also be large in magnitude. The health problems of India may be classified as below:

            Communicable Disease Problems

            Nutritional Problems

            Environmental Sanitation Problems

            Medical Care Problems

            Population Problems

              National Health Policy:

The Ministry of Health and Family welfare evolved a National Health Policy in 1983 in view of the national commitment to attain the goal of Health for all by the year 2000. The health strategies suggested include restructuring the health infrastructure, development of health manpower, research and health development.

The broad recommendations of health  policy are:

            to establish one health subcentre for every 5,000 rural population (3,000 in tribal and hilly areas) with one male and female health worker.

            to establish one primary health centre for every 30,000 rural population (20,000 in hilly and tribal areas).

            to establish Community Health Centres, each serving a population of one lakh.

            to train village Health Guides selected by the community for every village or 1,000 rural population.

            to train traditional birth attendants or  Dais in each village.

            Training of various categories of other staff, e.g. multipurpose workers.

These schemes are expected to ensure the availability to adequate infrastructure and medical and paramedical manpower to take us nearer the goal of universal provision of primary health care as envisaged in the National Health Policy.

The National Health Policy laid down specific goals to be achieved by 1985, 1990, 1995 and 2000 AD. The National Health Policy has given a new direction to health planning in India, making primary health care the central function and the main focus of the national health system. The goal of national health planning in India was to attain health for all by the year 2000.

Since then there has been significant changes in the determinant factors relating to the health sector, necessitating revision of the policy, and a new National Health Policy -2002 was evolved.