Role Of The Government In Health - Class 7 Civics - Extra Questions

Mention some positive aspects of healthcare in India.

Some positive aspects of healthcare in India are.
(a) India has a good number of doctors, clinics and hospitals. It is among the largest producers of doctors.
(b) Healthcare facilities have grown substantially over the years. The number of hospitals grew from $$11,174$$ in $$1991$$ to $$18,218$$ in $$2000$$.
(c) India gets a large number of medical tourists from several countries. They come for treatment in some of the world-famous hospitals in India.
(d) India is the fourth-largest producer of medicines in the world and also a large exporter of medicines.


What are the negative aspects of healthcare in India?

The negative aspects of healthcare in India are:
(a) Rural people face the crisis of doctors because most doctors settle in urban areas. They have to travel long distances to reach a doctor.
(b) About five lakh people die from tuberculosis every year. Almost two million cases of malaria are reported every year.
(c) Clean drinking water is not available to all. As a result, poor people easily become prey to various waterborne diseases such as diarrhea, hepatitis, etc.
(d) Half of all children in India do not get adequate food to eat and are undernourished.


What did the court ask the State Government in Hakim Sheik case?

The court asked the State Government to give Hakim Sheik the money that he had spent on his treatment.


Why did Hakim Sheik file a case in the court?

Hakim Sheik filed a case in the court because of the indifferent attitude of various government hospitals that refused to admit him.


What happened to Hakim Sheik?

On evening in $$1992$$, he accidently fell off a running train and suffered head injuries.


Where are private services easily available?

Private services are easily available in urban areas.


Write down the main features of public health system.

The main features of the public health system are:
(a) It provides quality healthcare services either, free or at a low cost so that even the poor can seek treatment.
(b) It takes action to prevent the spread of diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria, jaundice, etc. Time to time it takes up a campaign to see that mosquitoes do not breed in water-coders, rooftops, etc.
(c) This system is available in both rural and urban areas.


Compare public health services with those of private health services.

(a) Public health services are run by the government while private health services are managed by individuals or companies.
(b) Public health services provide health care facilities either free or at a low cost so that even the poor can seek treatment easily. Thus, money-making is not the goal of public health services. So far private health services are concerned, they are run mainly for profit. They usually prescribe expensive medicines. It is common for private doctors to prescribe unnecessary medicines, injections or saline bottles when tablets or simple medicines can suffice.
(c) Public health services are found both in rural and urban areas. But private health services are concentrated in urban areas.
(d) We often find a huge rush at the government hospitals. People have to wait for hours in a long queue. But private hospitals are maintained properly. People don't face such long queues there.


How can you say that adequate healthcare is not available to all?

We can say without any doubt that adequate healthcare is not available to all in our country. The reason is that private services are increasing but public services are not. As a result, private services are mainly available to people. But these services are concentrated in urban areas and are very expensive. Poor people hardly can afford whenever there is an illness in the family, they either borrow money or sell some of their possessions to pay for the expenses. Thus, medical expenses cause great hardship for the poor. Therefore, they avoid going to a doctor unless it is very urgent.
It has been found that women are not promptly taken to a doctor. Their health concerns are ignored. Many tribal areas have few health centers and they do not run properly.


What is Costa Rican approach? Explain.

Costa Rica is a country in North America. It is considered to be one of the healthiest countries in the continent. The Coastal Rican govt gave much importance to the health of its citizens. It took an important decision and decided not to have an army. In this way, it saved money and began to spend this money on health, education and other basic needs of the people. The Costa Rican government believes that a country has to be healthy for its development and pays sincere attention to the health of its people. The Costa Rican government provides clean drinking water, sanitation, nutrition and housing. Health education has been made an important part of education and at all the levels students are provided knowledge about health.
The Costa Rican approach towards health is praiseworthy and inspiring.


Class 7 Civics Extra Questions