Rural Healthcare Infrastructure

Rural Healthcare Infrastructure:

The Indian health care industry is seen to be growing at a rapid pace and is expected to become a US$280 billion industry by 2022. According to the investment commission of India the health care sector has experienced phenomenal growth of 12 percent per annum in the last 4years. Rising income levels and growing elderly population are all factors that are driving this growth.

In addition, changing demographics, diseases profiles and the shift from chronic to life style diseases in the country has led to increased spending on health care delivery. Even so, the vast majority of the country suffers from a poor standard of health care infrastructure which has not kept up with the growing economy. Despites having centers of excellence in healthcare delivery, these facilities are limited and are inadequate in meeting the current health care demands.

Most public health facilities lack efficiency, are understaffed and have poorly maintained or outdated medical equipment. Approximately one millon people, mostly women and children, die in India each year due to inadequate health care. 700 million people have no access to specialist care and 80% of specialists live in urban areas. In addition to poor infrastructure India faces a shortage of trained medical personal especially in rural areas where access to care is altogether limited.

In order to meet manpower shortages and reach world standards India would require investments of up to $20 billion over the next 5 years. Forty percent of primary health centers in India are understaffed. According to WHO statistics there are over 250 medical colleges in the modern system of medicines and over 400 in the Indian system of medicine and homeopathy.

India produces over 250,000 doctors annually in the modern system of medicine and the similar number of homeopathy practitioners, nurses and para professionals. India faces a huge need gap in terms of availability of number of hospital beds per 1000 population. With a world average of 3.96 hospital beds per 1000 population India stands just a little over 0.7 hospital beds per 1000 population.

Moreover, India faces a shortage of doctors, nurses and paramedics that are needed to propel the growing health care industry. However, Under the Minimum Needs Programme, Government has started developing the rural health infrastructure. In rural areas service are provided through integrated health and family welfare delivery system.