Mohd. Masood Ahmed, principal, Deccan School of Management, Hyderabad observes that there is immense demand for healthcare services in India. However, while creating healthcare infrastructure and marketing healthcare services, the focus should be on appropriate classification of healthcare services on the basis of states.

Developing states of India such as UP, Bihar, Assam, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa may require primary or broader specialty healthcare services while developed states such as Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are in need of super specialty services and cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad require single specialty services.

Referring to key statistics, which indicate the global and national scenario, Masood says -every day more than 30,000 children around the world die of preventable diseases. Every year more than 5,00,000 women die as a result of pregnancy and child- birth.

As per a report of ADB brought in 2001, India in 1980 had 1299 persons per hospital bed and 2694 persons per physician, whereas it went up to 1493 persons per hospital bed and 1916 persons per physician, respectively, in 1998. Pakistan had 1745 persons per bed and 3506 persons per physician in 1980 and got reduced to 1429 persons per bed and 1544 persons per physician, respectively, in 1998. And Nepal had 5672 persons per bed and 29,770 persons physician in 1980 and reduced to around 5000 persons per bed and 25,001, respectively, in 1998.

India has a great share in global health problems- it has around 17 per cent of the global population, only two per cent of land, 23 per cent of child deaths, 26 per cent of the childhood vaccine preventable deaths, 20 per cent of the maternal deaths, 68 per cent of the leprosy cases, 30 per cent of tuberculosis cases, and 10 per cent of the HIV infected persons.

As per a report published in 2002, population using adequate sanitation facilities in India is only 31 per cent, and those who use improved water sources is 88 per cent. Population having access to essential drugs is around 49 per cent. One-year-olds immunized against TB in the year 1999 were 68 per cent, whereas those immunized against measles during 1999 was only 50 per cent.

The National Health Policy, 2002 has kept various targets, which include, eradication of polio by year 2005. Elimination of leprosy by 2005, kala-azar by 2010, and lymphatic filariasis by 2015. Achievement of zero level growth of HIV/AIDS by 2007, reduction of mortality on account of TB, malaria and other vector and water borne diseases by 50 per cent by year 2010.

Reduction of prevalence of blindness to 0.5 per cent by 2010, reduction of IMR to 30/1000 and MMR to 100/1,00,000 live births by 2010. Increase in utilization of public healthcare facilities from the current level of less than 20 per cent to more than 75 per cent by 2010, and establishment of an integral system of surveillance, national health accounts and statistics by 2005.