[op-ed snap] States of healthcare



From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

Prelims level: Not Much

Mains level: Health related studies, research, etc. are important for the Mains exam. Also, they are specially mentioned in the Mains syllabus.



  1. Data from Global Burden of Disease study(given in the article) will help states chart their individual Health Targets
  2. States need to beef up disease monitoring systems

How health status changes around the world?

  2. Reason behind health transitions: Such health transitions have been especially profound in the past half-century due to sweeping
    (1) industrialisation,
    (2) rapid urbanisation and
    (3) relentless globalisation in most parts of the world

Why is it necessary to understand these health transitions?


Why was ‘Global Burden of Disease’ initiated?

  2. Working areas: Since then, estimates are periodically provided for years of life lost to premature mortality as well as for years of disease-related disability that is weighted for severity

First-of-its-kind Indian effort to map state-level disease burdens

  1. It was undertaken by over 1,000 experts of the Public Health Foundation of India, in partnership with the Indian Council of Medical Research and the team that leads the global study
  2. The results, reported recently, highlight significant trends common to all states as well as important differences between them

Results of the study:
Life expectancy at birth improved in India


Under-five mortality rate

  1. The under-five mortality rate has reduced substantially in all states in these 25 years
  3. India has wide gaps to bridge: The under-five mortality of India is six times higher than Sri Lanka and burden of child and maternal malnutrition 12 times higher than in China

Different classes of diseases

  3. Statewise trends: Kerala, Goa, and Tamil Nadu have the largest dominance of non-communicable diseases and injuries over infectious and associated diseases
  4. But this ratio is much lower in Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan

Five leading individual causes of disease burden in India

  1. In 2016, three of the five leading individual causes of disease burden in India were non-communicable
  2. The ischaemic heart disease and the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are the top two causes
  3. And stroke the fifth leading cause

Causes behind different diseases

  2. Ambient air pollution and household air pollution both rank high as risk factors in 2016
  3. The former rising(air pollution) and the latter(household pollution) declining in the past 25 years

The study will help us in making Health strategy of individual states

  1. These data highlight the need to develop specific strategies to address the major contributors to disease burden within each state

The way forward

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