How can we increase the effectiveness of health care programmes?

Health is a public good and a basic human right. Therefore, it should be provided to all and no person should be deprived of health care facilities. These facilities can be provided to all if public health services are decentralized. It implies that the power of providing these services should be delegated from the central to the local authorities. The success of health care depends upon education, spread of knowledge, awareness and efficient health infrastructure. It is crucial to create awareness about health and hygiene among people. The telecom and IT sectors can further aggravate the effectiveness of health care programmes. Further, providing quality medical facilities at nominal costs can promote its worthiness and popularity. In order to enhance the effectiveness of health care programmes, the main focus should be on increasing the number of hospitals, modernization of medical facilities, development of infrastructure, improving the doctor-population ratio and increasing the number of medical colleges in India. The availability and development of medical facilities in the rural areas is still a far cry. Further, there must be some regulation to check the exorbitant fees charged by the private medical centres to make health care facilities accessible and affordable to all.

Health is the holistic process related to overall growth and development of nation. Development of health infrastructure ensures a country of healthy manpower for production of goods and services. The government has the constitutional obligation to guide and regulate all health related issues such as medical education, adulteration of food, drugs, and poisons, etc.

The union government has developed broad policies and plans through the central council of health and family welfare. Through following programmes we can increase the effectiveness of health care programmes:

1. Public health facilities should be decentralised

2. People should be educated about the nature, causes, and remedies of general diseases.

3. People should be made aware about sanitation facilities, cleanliness, immunisation, etc.

4. Efforts should be taken to develop health infrastructure

5. Through telecom and I.T. sector, messages can be spread regarding small family, vaccination better quality of life, etc especially in rural areas.

6. Primary health care facilities should be strengthened.

7. Private public partnership indeveloping primary, secondary and tertiary health care system can be taken.