NCERT Revision notes for class 7 Civics Role of government in health

Health

Health is a situation in which a person is free of illness or diseases. It also means that people have clean water to drink and easily accessible health care facility at cheap price.

Health care facility in India

In India, health care facilities are divided in two categories:

1. Public health care services
2. Private health care services

Public health care services

Public health care service is provided by government free of cost to every citizen of the country. They provide health care services to both rural and urban areas.

In rural areas, primary health centers are opened to treat minor illness problems of the people. For major illness treatments, people have to access district hospitals.

Public health care system also take action against major diseases such as TB, Malaria, jaundice, cholera etc. to prevent the spread of them.

Advantages of public health care services

1. It provides health care services in both rural and urban areas.
2. The cost is low or free
3. Every citizen can use public health facilities.
4. It prevents the spread of major diseases such as TB, malaria and jaundice etc.

Drawbacks of public health care services

1. Sometimes primary health centers are setup far from villages which made it inaccessible to people.
2. Mostly, people spend a lot of time in the queue sometimes even for days before getting treatments.
3. Nobody take care of the cleanliness in the public hospitals.
4. Sometimes they lack modern equipments and machinery.

Private health care services

Private health care services are provided by individuals or group of individual who are mostly businessmen. Private sector provide best in quality health services because they’re equipped with modern equipments and technology. They can easily treat a person’s chronic disease.

Advantages of private health care services

1. It provide best in quality treatment.
2. They ‘re always equipped with modern technology machines and equipments.
3. Private hospitals take care of the cleanliness.
4. Even chronic diseases can be treated easily.
5. People don’t have to spend time in long queue.

Drawbacks of private health care services

1. It is too much expensive.
2. They operate mostly in urban areas.
3. Not every person can afford their facilities.

Right to life

Our constitution grants right to life as a fundamental right to every citizen of India. According to this law, it’s the responsibility of the government to safeguard every person.

It’s the duty of the government to provide necessary health care facilities, setup hospitals and provide on time treatment in emergency situation.

Healthcare and equality

The private health care services are increasing day by day but public health care services are limited. However, public health services are concentrated in urban areas, their treatment is very expensive, poor people can’t afford it.

Most of the practitioner, recommend expensive medicine when a normal medicine can treat the disease.

 It’s not the money that prevent people from accessing the health care services. In most areas, women’s health are considered less important than that of a man.

The conclusion is that not every person is treated equally when it comes to health care services.

Related NCERT Revision notes

• On equality