Babies born in Somalia and Afghanistan have a higher chance of surviving than those born in India, a study in the medical journal Lancet revealed. According to latest Global Burden of Disease study, India ranks 154th out of 195 countries as far as access to healthcare access and quality are concerned. The country’s rank last year was 143 out of 188 countries surveyed.
The study is compiled by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, an independent research centre associated with the University of Washington, and 2,300 researchers in more than 130 countries.
The country, with a healthcare index of 44.8, fares worse than its neighbours like Nepal (50.8), Bangladesh (51.7) and Sri Lanka (72.8). China, with a score of 74 on the index, has been ranked at 82. Andorra ranked at the top of the list with an overall healthcare index of 95, while the Central African Republic was placed at the bottom with a score of 29.
The areas in which India has particularly failed to deliver are neonatal care, tuberculosis treatment, rheumatic heart disease and maternal health. It performed especially poorly in providing neonatal care and access to TB treatment. In the first category, on a scale of 1 to 100, it ranked 14 in the Healthcare Access Quality index, while in the second, it scored 26 out of 100, lower than Pakistan and Congo.
The study also says that India has not managed to meet its goals in healthcare despite its socio-economic development. The gap between its score and predicted score on the index has increased in the past 25 years.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!