Healthcare in India is the responsibility of constituent states and territories of India. The Constitution charges every state with "raising of the level of nutrition and the standard of living of its people and the improvement of public health as among its primary duties". The National Health Policy was endorsed by the Parliament of India in 1983 and updated in 2002.[1]
The art of Health Care in India can be traced back nearly 3500 years. From the early days of Indian history the Aryurvedic tradition of medicine has been practiced. During the rule of Emperor Ashoka Maurya (third century B.C.E.), schools of learning in the healing arts were created. Many valuable herbs and medicinal combinations were created. Even today many of these continue to be used. During his rein there is evidence that Emperor Ashoka was the first leader in world history to attempt to give health care to all of his citizens, thus it was the India of antiquity which was the first state to give it's citizens national health care.
In recent times India has eradicated mass famines, half of children in India are underweight, one of the highest rates in the world and nearly the same rate of Sub-Saharan Africa. Water supply and sanitation in India continue to be a challenge, only one of three Indians has access to improved sanitation facilities such as toilet. India's HIV/AIDS epidemic is a growing threat. Cholera epidemics are not unknown. The maternal mortality in India is the second highest in the world.
Providing healthcare and disease prevention to India’s growing population of more than a billion people becomes challenging in the face of increased competition for resources. 2.47 million people in India are estimated to be HIV positive. India is one of the four countries worldwide where polio has not as yet been successfully eradicated and one third of the world’s tuberculosis cases are in India [2]. Three out of four children who died from measles in 2008 were in India.
According to the World Health Organization 900,000 Indians die each year from drinking contaminated water and breathing in polluted air [3]. As India grapples with these basic issues, new challenges are emerging for example there is a rise in chronic adult diseases such as cardiovascular illnesses and diabetes as a consequence of changing lifestyles [4].
There are vast disparities in people’s health even among the different states across the country largely attributed to the resource allocation by the state governments where some states have been more successful than others. Critics say better efforts are needed by the local governments to ensure that the health services provided are actually reaching the poor in worst-affected areas.[citation needed]
However, at the same time, India's health care system also includes entities which are world class. India is a magnet for medical tourists, who are able to get medical treatments and surgeries at a fraction of the cost of these procedures in developed countries. The Apollo set of hospitals, for example, thrives on this business. Each hospital, however, must also set aside a number of beds for the poor. However, as the BBC reported, access to these services by the poor is plagued with corruption. While many foreign medical experts criticize medical tourism, many private hospitals are able to demonstrate that their level of care is comparable, if not better, than that received in developed countries.
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