“People living in rural areas do not have sufficient health infrastructure.” Comment.

Question – “People living in rural areas do not have sufficient health infrastructure.” Comment.

Answer –

Health structure is significantly biased in favour of urban areas. 70% of the total population lives in rural areas but most modern health facilities are available and developed in urban areas.

1. Only 20% of total hospitals are located in rural areas while 80% are in urban areas.
2. Out of a total number of beds, only 11% of beds are available in rural areas.
3. Only 50% of the total number of dispensaries are located in rural areas.
4. Only 25% of the total population in rural areas has access to proper medical facilities.
5. Public health centres (PHC) located in rural areas do not even offer X-rays or blood testing facilities.
6. Rural people have no access to any specialized medical care like paediatrics, gynaecology, anaesthesia, and obstetrics.
7. There are only 0.36 hospitals for every one lakh people in rural areas, while in urban areas one lakh people have 3.6 hospitals.
8. There is always a shortage of doctors in rural areas even though 15,000 medical graduates are produced every year. 20% of these graduates leave the country/ migrate to other countries for better monetary prospects and many opt for private hospitals.

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