HEALTH

India has made rapid-fire strides in the health sector since independence. Still, various eye opening data from NFHS clearly indicate that access to healthcare still remains a challenge.

While the health statistics of rural India continue to be poor, the health status and access to health for the poor in civic slum dwellers has surfaced to be equally deplorable and have lower than 4 of government primary healthcare facilities.

Civic slum residers suffer from adverse health conditions owing to substantially two reasons – first the lack of education and therefore lack of knowledge; and second the reluctance to lose a day’s wage in order to reach the nearest medical facility. Healthcare for underprivileged, which is a hopeless need, therefore remains unaddressed.

The need of the hour is therefore a two sharp approach – first to bring quality healthcare services to doorsteps of the needy and alternate to promote healthcare awareness and contemporary healthcare seeking behavior among the underprivileged.