CLASS-

8-Rol
eoft
heGov
ernmenti
nHeal
th

ACTI
VITY

Findoutthenamesandusesofthemedici
nesy ouf
indi
nyourhome.Are
thereanythatar
eexpi
red?Tel
lyourcl
assabouthowtocheckmedi
cines
forexpi
rydates

1.Whatdopeopl
einademocr
ati
ccount
ryexpectf
rom t
hegov
ernment
?
 

Answer
: 
Peoplei
nademocr
ati
ccount
ryexpectt
hegov
ernmentt
owor
kfor
t
hei
rwelf
are.

2.Wher
edomostdoctor
spr ef
ertoset
tl
e?
Answer
: 
Mostdoct
orspr
efertosett
lei
nurbanar
eas.

3.Whatdoyoumeanbyapubli
chealthcar
esy
stem?
Answer:
 
Thi
sisasyst
em ofhospi
tal
sandheal
thcent
resr
unbyt
he
gover
nment
.

4.Whatist
hefullf
orm ofRMPs?Wher earetheyf
ound?
Answer:
 
Regist
eredMedicalPr
act
it
ioners.Theyar
efoundi
nrur
alar
eas.

5.Whyarepoorpeopl
emorelikel
yt ofal
lil
l?
Answer
: 
Poorpeoplear
emor eli
kelytofalli
l
lbecausetheyar
enotprovi
ded
basi
cnecessi
ti
esli
kedri
nki
ngwat er,adequatehousi
ng,cl
eansur
roundi
ngs,
etc.

6.Def
inehealt
h.
Answer:
 Thecommondef i
nit
ionofheal
thi
stheabi
l
ityofaper
sont
o
remai
nfreeofil
lnessandi
njuri
es.

7.Namesomewat
erbor
nedi
seases.

Answer:
Diar
rhoea,
wor
ms,
hepat
it
is.
8.Whatpr
obl
em dor
ural
peopl
efacewhenev
ert
heycomei
nagr
ipofan
i
ll
ness?

Answer
:Theyhav
etot
rav
ell
ongdi
stancest
oreachadoct
or.

9.Ment
ionsomeposi
tiv
easpectsofheal
thcar
einIndi
a.
Answer
: 
Someposi
tiv
easpectsofheal
thcarei
nIndi
aare:

1.I
ndiahasagoodnumberofdoct ors,
cli
nics,andhospi t
als.Iti
samong
thelar
gestproducersofdoctors.
2.I
ndiagetsalargenumberofmedi calt
ouristsfrom severalcountr
ies.
Theycomef ortreatmenti
nsomeoft hewor ld-f
amoushospi t
alsi
n
I
ndia.
3.I
ndiaisthefourt
h-lar
gestproducerofmedi cinesinthewor ldandalso
alargeexport
erofmedi ci
nes.

10.Whatar
ethenegat
iveaspect
sofhealt
hcar
einIndi
a?
Answer:
 
Thenegat
iveaspect
sofheal
thcarei
nIndi
aare:

1.Ruralpeoplefacethecr i
sisofdoctor
sbecausemostdoct orssett
lein
urbanareas.Theyhav etot r
avell
ongdistancestor eachadoctor.
2.Cleandrinki
ngwat erisnotav ai
l
abletoall
.Asar esul
tpoorpeople
easil
ybecomepr eyt ov ari
ouswaterbor
nedi seasessuchasdi ar
rhea
worms, hepati
tis,etc.
3.Halfofallchi
ldreninI ndi
adonotgetadequat efoodt oeatandare
undernouri
shed.

11.Wri
tedownthemainfeat
uresofthepubl
i
chealt
hsy stem.
Answer
: Themai
nfeat
uresofthepubli
cheal
thsy
stem are:

1.I
tpr ovidesquali
tyhealt
hcareser vi
cesei therfr
eeoratal owcostso
thatevent hepoorcanseekt reatment .
2.I
tt akesact i
ontopreventthespr eadofdi seasessuchast uber
cul
osis,
mal ari
a,jaundi
ce,et
c.Timet otimei ttakesupacampai gntoseethat
mosqui t
oesdonotbr eedinwat er-coders,roof
tops,et
c.
3.Thissy stem i
savail
ableinbothr uralandur banareas.

12.
Compar
epubl
i
cheal
thser
viceswi
tht
hoseofpr
ivat
eheal
thser
vices.
Answer
:

(
a)Publ
icheal
thserv
icesar
erunbythegover
nmentwhil
epri
vat
e
heal
thserv
icesar
emanagedbyindiv
idual
sorcompani
es.

(b)Publi
cheal
thser
vicesprov i
dehealt
hcarefaci
li
ti
eseit
herfr
ee
oratalowcostsothatev enthepoorcanseektreatmenteasi
ly
.
Thus,money-maki
ngisnott hegoalofpubli
chealt
hservi
ces.So
farpri
vat
ehealt
hservicesareconcerned,
theyarerunmainlyf
or
profi
t.

(c)Publ
icheal
thserv
icesarefoundbot
hinrural
andurbanar
eas.
Butpri
vateheal
thservi
cesareconcent
rat
edinurbanar
eas.

(d)Weoftenf
indhugerushatthegovernmenthospi
tal
s.People
havet
owai tf
orhoursi
nal ongqueue.Butpr
ivat
ehospit
alsare
maint
ainedpr
operl
y.Peopl
edon’tfacesuchlongqueuesther
e.
13.Howcany ousayt hatadequat ehealthcareisnotavai
labletoall
?
Answer: Wecansaywi t
houtanydoubtt hatadequatehealthcareisnot
avail
abl
et oalli
nourcount r
y .Ther easonisthatpriv
ateservicesare
i
ncreasingbutpublicservi
cesar enot .Asar esult
,pri
vat
eser vi
cesare
mainlyavail
abletopeople.Butt heseserv i
cesareconcentratedinurban
areasandar everyexpensive.

Medicalexpensescausegr
eathar
dshipforthepoor
.Ther
efor
e,t
heyav
oid
goi
ngt othedoctorunl
essi
tisver
yurgent.

14.
Wheredomostdoctorsprefert
osettl
e?
Answer
: 
Mostdoct
orsprefertoset
tlei
nurbanar
eas.

15.Whatar et
hediff
erentwaysthroughwhi chthegover
nmentcantake
stepst
opr ovi
dehealt
hcareforal
l?Di scuss.
Answer:
 Thegovernmentcantakest epst oprov
ideheal
thcar
eforal
lby
:

 Increasi
ngthenumberofhospi t
als,heal
thcar
ecentr
es,andfamil
y
wel f
arecentr
es.
 Organisingfr
eecampsf orthecheck-upofthegener
alpubli
c.
 OrganisingPulsePol
iocampaigns.
 Spreadinghealthawarenessamongcommonpeopl ethr
oughdiff
erent
means.Wor kshops,seminars,
andtraini
ngcampscanal soprov
etobe
effecti
veways.

16.‘I
mpr ovementi nwaterandsanitat
ioncancontrolmanydiseases’
.
Explainwi t
ht hehelpofexamples.
Answer : Wat erandsanit
ationaret
hebasicnecessiti
esforthe
maint enanceofourheal th.Poorquali
tyofwatercausesalotofhealt
h
problems.Si milar
ly,
poorsanit
ati
oncausesmanyepi demicsgivi
ngbirt
hto
danger ousi nsectsandwor ms.Malari
aisalsocausedbyamosqui tocall
ed
anophel es.Impr ovementinwaterandsanit
ationcancontrolt
hese
happeni ngs.

17.
Gi
veanaccountoft
heKer
alaexper
ienceaboutheal
thcar
eser
vices.
Answer
:
TheKer
alaEx
per
ience
  I
n1996,theKeral
agover
nmentmadesomemaj orchangesinthestat
e.
 40percentoft
heenti
restat
ebudgetwasgi
ventoPanchayats.Theypl
anandpr
ovi
def
or
thei
rrequirement s.Thisismadepossi bleforav i
l
laget
omakepr operpl
anningforwater
,
food,women’ sdev elopmentandeducat ion.
 Asar esult
, watersupplyschemeswer echecked, t
heworkingofschoolsandanganwadis
wasensur edandspeci fi
cproblemsoft hev i
l
lagesweretakenup.
 Healthcent r
eswer ealsoi mpr
ov ed.
 Allofthi
shel pedt oimprovethesi t
uat
ion.
 Despitetheseef f
or t
s,somepr oblemslikeshortagesofmedi ci
nes,i
nsuf
fi
cienthospi
tal
beds,dearthofdoct orremainedandt heseneedt obeaddr essed.

18.
DiscusstheCost
aRicanApproachaboutHeal
th.
Answer:
Cost
aRi canAppr
oachaboutHealt
h

 CostaRicaisoneoft hehealthi
estcountri
esinSouthAmeri
ca.
 Themai nreasonf orthisisfoundintheCostaRicanConst
it
uti
on.
 CostaRicat ookav eryimportantdecisi
onnottohaveanarmy.
 Thishel
pedt heCostaRi cangovernmenttospendtheaddi
ti
onalmoneyonhealt
h,
educati
onandot herbasicneedsoft hepeopl
e.
 TheCos taRi cangovernmentbelievesthatacountr
yhastobeheal
thyfori
tsdev
elopment
.
 Itpl
aysal otofattenti
ont othehealthofit
speople.

TheCost
aRi
cangov
ernmentpr
ovi
desbasi
cser
vicesandameni
ti
est
oal
li
tspeopl
e.

 OPD:
outpat
ientdepar
tment

Dokeywor
dsf
rom t
het
ext
book.