Despite Our Booming Economy, India’s Public Healthcare System Is Still Poor

Over the past few decades, rapid economic growth has allowed millions of Indians to lift themselves out of poverty. For the extremely diverse population set, Indian healthcare system has its strengths, as well as its challenges. The lack of quality and affordable medical care has meant that millions continue to be deeply vulnerable to health shocks. Despite recording several gains in health in recent years, India continues to lag in several health indicators, such as mortality rates and malnutrition. The system is fairly broken. Fewer doctors than what should be. Fewer clinics, hospital beds, and accredited facilities – In fact, far lower than what is required in India. India also has an unusually high rate of illiteracy and poverty in both urban and rural areas, both of which contribute to low rates of health literacy.

Health is wealth. For any nation to progress it is necessary that proper health care facilities are made available for its citizens. No country ever achieved their universal health goals overnight. There are various ways to improve such systems.

Government should take measures to make regular health checkups affordable as well as accessible for the people. The basic purpose of health camps is to bring awareness amongst the deprived population of the country who have no access to basic healthcare services or knowledge about the diseases they are suffering from.These camps make sure people are getting the healthcare at the right time.

Literacy is also a contributing factor to improve the failing health in India. Improving literacy has many benefits and good healthcare is one of them. By educating we are indirectly improving healthcare problems like maternal mortality rate and educating rural health workers to assist in emergency times.

Healthcare should be made affordable for the poor which will further motivate them to get frequent checkups before their issues start deteriorating.

There is a dire need of a positive change in the healthcare industry in India. The time has come to begin the development of our medical facilities and services to help the country progress faster.

To ensure a healthy community, organisations like the Ponty Chadha Foundation actively organise free diagnostic health camps for village communities across India, for those at the bottom of the pyramid. With these camps held in villages and construction sites in Noida and Ghaziabad, PCF has touched the lives of thousands of people.

Your Biggest Baby Worries: Newborn Care Week 2018

Coming into the world is a big and scary adventure for babies. Right after birth, they start communicating and giving little signals when they are tired, hungry or confused. It’s the job of a parent to comprehend these signs and make the world a welcoming place for their little ones.

Infants go through many changes in life to get used to the outside world after spending nine comfortable months in a protected womb! This adjustment almost always goes well, but there are certain warning signs you should watch out for.

When it comes to newborn development, what all should a parent be concerned about?

Seeing, Hearing and Communicating

Your child:

Isn’t responding to bright lights or can’t focus their eyes on something. Babies start to get attracted to shiny lights, primary colours, stripes, dots and patterns that really captivate their attention.

Isn’t watching your face or looking you in the eye. Since the human face is the first object they recognize, babies begin to remember particular faces and other objects during the first three months.

Isn’t hearing things – like startling sounds. Newborns can hear, and have been hearing noises from well before they were born. So, it can be worrying if they suddenly stop responding to it.

Behaviour and Movement

Your child:

Isn’t feeding well. Some warning signs related to feeding and digestion are harder to identify than behavioral changes or physical warning signs. The signs can range from having a poor appetite to sucking, spitting or vomiting problems.

Isn’t sleeping well. Healthy sleep is vital, especially in babies. Inadequate or low-quality naps will threaten healthy development and seriously hamper growth.

Isn’t moving their arms or legs. Infants in their first eight weeks have no control over their movements, they don’t know how to make each part of their body move voluntarily. They only start to work out how to lift their heads when lying on the tummy, and kick their legs by about eight weeks.

Children grow and develop at different speeds. If you’re worried that your child’s development isn’t ‘normal’, it might help you to know that the definition of ‘normal’ varies a lot. However, if you still feel that something’s not right, see your family health doctor to be sure.

Newborn Care Week is celebrated every year in India from 15-21 November, aimed at raising awareness about the importance of newborn care for child survival and development. Mata Bhagwanti Chadha Niketan actively participates in promoting infant health development and ensuring that children with special needs are taken care of professionally. Our hope is to better the state of infant and child mortality in India.