Improving The Health Of The Healthcare Sector

The recent outbreak of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) in Bihar leading to a rising death toll of children points to the dilapidated public healthcare system in the country.

- Kishore Kumar Biswas

According to the latest data available with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, about 79.5% of the 1,719 villages of the Muzaffarpur district in Bihar do not have access to healthcare facilities. Moreover, Bihar health officials reportedly said that Encephalitis cases have been witnessed in poorly developed areas with rudimentary health infrastructure. The dismal state of affairs is not limited to Bihar. Deaths of new born babies and children in the Gorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh is equally worrying.

The healthcare system is one of the most important pillars in the developmental journey of any country. The fire part of healthcare is treatment part. The second part is associated with the overall physical and health position of the citizens of a country, including their overall environment and nutrition level. The latter is quite important as it is directly associated with the overall health condition of the county’s population.

Importance of healthcare in an economy

Professor Amartya Sen and many other social scientists have been categorically emphasising on the importance of healthcare and education in an economy. Prof. Sen delivered a lecture at the launch of the International Centre for Human Development on January 4, 2012, at New Delhi. He said, “Education, healthcare and expanding productivity of human beings not only help human life, which is the primary impact, but, it also makes economic growth possible and easier. China went in that direction and went for universal education straightaway even before its economic reforms. China has continued to grow faster than India.”