Significant rise in health expenditure urgently required, says India's president
04-Apr-15, The President of India
India's President has said a healthcare system, which is universally accessible, affordable and effective, is crucial for a developing country like India. To build such a system, robust healthcare infrastructure, trained and motivated personnel, and better access to medicines and equipments is required.
Image: The Hindu
There are 7 hospital beds per 10,000 population in India, compared to 23 in Brazil, 38 in China and 97 in Russia. In terms of healthcare professionals, we again lag behind the other BRIC countries. There are 7 physicians per 10,000 population in India, compared to 19 in Brazil, 15 in China and 43 in Russia. Though schemes like the National Health Mission have improved service delivery, health services in India still suffer from lack of reach and constraints of quality.