Expressing concern at the lack of adequate health infrastructure in rural areas in the country, Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday pointed out that the Governments alone cannot meet the growing healthcare demands and wanted the private sector and NGOs to supplement the efforts of the Government.
"The Centre and State Government need to focus on improving healthcare services in rural and backward areas," said the Vice-President after inaugurating a mega health camp at Swarna Bharat Trust, Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh, according to a statement here.
The State Minister for Health and Medical Education, Kamineni Srinivas, the State Minister for Water Resources Management Devineni Uma Maheswara Rao and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.
Naidu also cautioned people against falling prey to illnesses caused by modern and sedentary lifestyles, attributing it to lack of physical activity and modern dietary habits. He further said that people should take physical activities like walking, jogging, cycling and practicing Yoga to lead a healthy life.
The Vice-President appealed the medical fraternity to educate and create awareness on the dangers of modern lifestyle and the need to adopt preventive measures.
He also lamented that innovative functioning of some Government hospitals was forcing the people to get treated at private hospitals. He further said that as against the WHO norm of one doctor per 1,000, there is one doctor per 1,700 population in India, as per the statement.
To overcome the shortage of medical professionals in the country, a high-level committee of Planning Commission (Now NITI Aayog) has recommended the setting up of 187 more medical colleges by 2022.
According to the Government data, despite the launch of the National Rural Health Mission in 2005, India continues to grapple with a 33 per cent shortage of rural hospitals, which are called Community Health Centers (CHCs).
Even in the ones present, there is an acute shortage of staff: There is a shortage of 50-70 per cent of physicians, specialists, lab technicians and radiographers at the CHCs. And around 10-15 per cent of them lack even basic amenities such as water supply and electricity.
Estimates suggest that our country needs an additional 1.54 million doctors and over 2.4 million nurses today to match the global average.