India at 75: A Significant Step Forward in Healthcare Since The Nation’s Independence
India at 75 and India in 1947 serve as stark examples of how a nation can change and endure over time. India will commemorate its 75th Independence Day on August 15, 2022—a day that every Indian looks forward to with pride and delight. India has developed new dynamics over the past 75 years and made tremendous strides in a number of areas, including the economy, healthcare, education, space exploration, and technology, among others. Following its liberation from British domination, India made some significant advancements in the availability and accessibility of healthcare throughout the ensuing decades. The decline in death rates has been India’s most notable accomplishment in the public health sector since independence (mortality).
India has made significant progress, from beginning large-scale, ambitious national projects to lowering and controlling some of the fatal diseases. Let’s examine some of the significant accomplishments made by India’s healthcare system during the past 75 years:
Improved Life Expectancy
India’s life expectancy has increased significantly during the past 75 years. An average Indian citizen’s life expectancy was 32 years in 1947; by 2022, it would be 70.19 years. Over 100 percent more people are expected to live longer now than they were 75 years ago. According to the United Nations-World Population Perspective, the average life expectancy worldwide is 72.98 years. India’s health outcomes have greatly improved, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). According to experts, one of the most significant and frequently used measures of human advancement is life expectancy. According to numerous studies, India’s life expectancy has improved as a result of better access to medical care, medications, and developing technologies. India’s current life expectancy in 2022 is 70.19 years, a rise of 0.33 percent from 2021. According to experts, significant improvements in baby, child, and maternal mortality have contributed to the country’s increased life expectancy.
Reduced rates of maternal and child mortality
United Nations forecasts indicate that India’s infant mortality rate will be 27.695 deaths per 1000 live births in 2022, a 3.74 percent decrease from 2021. IMR has slightly decreased in almost all states, according to the results of the National Health Family Survey-5 (NHFS-5), with Assam experiencing one of the highest declines, from 48 deaths (per 1,000 live births) to 32 deaths. The Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) was 2000/100,000 live births in the 1940s, but it appears to have decreased to 1000 in the 1950s. India is a signatory to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations (UN), which set a global maternal mortality ratio (MMR) objective of less than 70 deaths per 100000 live births by 2030. In March this year, a special bulletin by the Registrar General of India the MMR has declined by 10 points. It has declined from 113 in 2016-18 to 103 in 2017-19 which is an 8.8 percent decline.
Control of Contagious Illnesses
India has started a number of governmental programs since achieving independence to combat the threat of communicable diseases like AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, among others. A 1947 research in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene indicated that India had 330 million people and 75 million cases of malaria. Malaria cases drastically decreased to just 100,000 in 1964, marking a great victory on the front of eradication during the eradication period in the late 1950s and early 1960s. In spite of the reversal that resulted in around 6.4 million cases in 1976, the number of malaria cases has dramatically decreased over the past year. The WHO’s the most recent World Malaria Report 2021 lists the top 11 malaria burden countries in the world. Only India saw malaria-related progress. In the meantime, the world has praised India for its progress in the fight against polio. In India, where polio was hyperendemic until the early 1990s, 500 to 1000 kids were paralyzed every day on average. Since January 2011, there have been no new cases of polio reported in India, which was proclaimed polio-free in 2014.
The National Leprosy Eradication Program, one of the world’s largest leprosy eradication programs, is being carried out in India (NLEP). India has done a commendable job in eliminating smallpox. The nation declared itself smallpox free in 1979 after years of ranking among the nations with the greatest number of cases. In a same vein, India has significantly improved its ability to control diseases like tuberculosis, Cholera, Kala Azhar, and HIV.
