Healthcare in India
Health means our ability to remain free of illness and injuries.
India has a large number of doctors, clinics, and hospitals.
The country has experience and knowledge in running a public healthcare system. The public healthcare system is a system of hospitals and health centres run by the government.
Public Healthcare Services
The Public Health Service is a chain of health centres and hospitals run by the government.
They are linked together so that they cover both rura land urban areas and can also provide treatment to all kinds of problems from common illnesses to special services.
Primary Health Centre (PHC) covers many villages in rural areas. These centres are present at the village levels.
The District Hospital supervises all the health centres at the district level.
Large cities also have government hospitals.
The health service is called ‘public service’ because it fulfils its commitment of providing health care to all citizens, and the government has established these hospitals and health centres.
The resources needed to run these services are obtained from the money that the public pay to the government as taxes.
The public health system is meant to provide quality health care services either free or at a low cost so that even the poor can seek treatment.
Our Constitution says that it is the primary duty of the government to ensure the welfare of the people and provide health care facilities to all.
The government must safeguard the Right to Life of every person.
Private Healthcare Services
Private health facilities are not owned or controlled by the government.
There is a wide range of private health facilities that exist in our country.
A large number of doctors run their own private clinics.
Registered Medical Practitioners (RMPs) can be found in rural areas.
There are hospitals and nursing homes that are privately owned.