Delhi being the Capital of India and a thriving metro city has one of the best networks of healthcare facilities and service providers in the country.
But with a steady increase in the population of the Capital and a lack of overall systematic approach, even the best healthcare system seems inadequate. Thousands of hospitals in the Capital cater to the 1.22 billion population (as per Census 2011). Even though the population is constantly increasing with people coming to Delhi for work and for medical aid, the vast medical infrastructure has failed to provide the basic healthcare facilities to its people.
According to Delhi Human Development Report 2013, the Capital has the highest infant mortality rate (IMR) among all the metros. This is a direct indication of the number of children who die within the first year of life among every 1,000 live births. From 33 in 2004-09, Delhi has just about managed to come down to the current IMR of 28.
The main reasons for a high IMR are identified as inadequate neonatal care in healthcare centres and a significant proportion of deliveries still taking place at home. This denies expectant mothers the essential maternal health services during the critical period of childbirth. In addition to the infant deaths, the Capital has recently witnessed spread of water-borne diseases especially dengue. According to Government data, as many as nearly 5,000 people have been caught in the grip of dengue fever this year till now with nearly 20 deaths so far.
The multiplicity of ownership in the healthcare system in the Capital compounds the problem of providing proper healthcare facilities to one and all. The responsibility of providing basic health services in the capital is not just limited to the State Government but an array of civic bodies, both public and private.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends five beds per 1,000 population while Delhi count stands at 2.55 only with most of these being in the private sector. In 2004, the bed ratio per 1,000 population was 2.25 which show the excruciatingly slow pace of infrastructure development in the health sector. The sight of four patients occupying a single bed at various Government hospitals, like the lok Nayak Hospital in Central Delhi makes this statement a stark reality.
There are serious challenges in the sector of health and family welfare. Slow decline in IMR and inadequate neonatal healthcare facilities need to be addressed on an urgent basis. There is an urgent need to improve the survival prospects of newborns while ensuring proper care during neonatal period. Prevalence of non-
communicable diseases, especially among economically vulnerable sections of society is an indication of ineffective coverage of the under-privileged by the Government policies. Economically weaker sections depend primarily on the public healthcare facilities which need complete overhauling. Inadequate financial risk-protection, particularly amongst those from unorganised sectors of livelihood makes it impossible for them to pay the high medical expenses. Constant threat of respiratory ailments also looms large on majority of people in the city due to cramped living conditions and the ambient air quality.
Capital diagnosis
Besides the 39 hospitals managed by the Delhi Government, there are 72 recognised private hospitals. North Delhi Municipal Corporation has 5 major hospitals, 18 maternity homes and 13 polyclinics alone with 28 dispensaries. East Corporation has Swamy Dayanand as a major hospital along with 8 maternity homes and 22 mother and child welfare clinics. The zone also has 13 allopathic dispensaries and 23 ayurvedic dispensaries. The South Corporation however, does not have a single major hospital but has 32 ayurvedic dispensaries and 9 Unani dispensaries. The New Delhi Municipal Council has only one hospital of its own, Charakpalika Hospital at Moti Bagh. The agency, however, has nearly 44 dispensaries at its disposal out of which 12 each specialise in allopathic, homeopathic and ayurvedic medicines, while the remaining eight are school health clinics.