How health campaigns are accelerating, strengthening growth in India

Dr Subhash Gupta,

India’s public health policy has experienced an important change in the last few years. The nation’s active approach to health campaigns has improved the health of its people and served as an impulse for its general development. India’s strategic focus on health campaigns has emerged as an important factor in shaping its socio-economic environment, considering its growing population and a variety of healthcare challenges.

In India, health campaigns include a wide range of campaigns created to address different health issues. These include vaccination drives, illness awareness programs, and attempts to promote hygiene. Governmental organizations, international organisations, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) commonly coordinate these projects together with participants and local communities.

Developing public health systems and infrastructure is one of the health campaigns’ most important contributions to India’s development. The government is improving the system for providing healthcare, specifically in rural and underdeveloped regions, by investing in healthcare facilities and making special efforts. In terms of saving lives, increased access to healthcare services promotes productivity by promising a healthy population.

Health campaigns are necessary for the prevention and management of disease. Vaccinations against illnesses like polio, measles, and tetanus have been crucial in decreasing the number of avoidable cases, and avoiding the costs of medical care and lost productivity that come with these conditions. In the same way, public health initiatives that encourage good hygiene habits like handwashing and sanitation have been successful in lowering the prevalence of illnesses caused by water.

The Government of India has started campaigns through which the poor people or the people of rural areas who cannot afford the treatment or the medicine because of heavy cost price, so they get help from the yojanas which are run by the government. According to several reports, around 65 crore people are getting benefits due to Ayushman Bharat Yojana and around 32.40 crore people have issued Ayushman Bharat cards. This will help the people to get free access to healthcare insurance for the people who come under low-income earners. Around 6.2 crore hospital admissions worth more than Rs. 79,157 crores have been invested by the central government in this.

There are so many other programs also which help people in their well-being like Central Government Health Scheme, Aam Aadmi Bima Yojna, Universal Health Insurance Scheme, Etc. These schemes help people to get money for treatment and to get better treatment in the best hospitals. Because of these schemes poor people save money on their health and they invest that money in their education and for their better work.

Health campaigns are important for the development of the nation, to keep people aware. So many people get benefits from these campaigns. It plays a very crucial role in the time of COVID-19 to save people’s lives through the campaigns run by the government during COVID-19 vaccination. India is addressing health challenges reducing the disease burden and enhancing well-being. By these efforts, India is not only improving the quality of life for its citizens but also improving economic prosperity. Healthier populations contribute to increased productivity and reduce healthcare costs.

Dr Subhash Gupta is Chairman of Red Cross Society, Ghaziabad