Syllabus: GS1: Population and Associated Issues
Context:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that India’s two strengths are its demography and democracy, with the country being the most populous and the largest democracy in the world.
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- On July 11, 1987, the world population reached five billion, prompting the UN to establish World Population Day in 1989.
- The day highlights crucial issues such as family planning, gender equality, maternal and child health, and human rights.
- With a global population of over eight billion, progress is evident, but challenges remain.
- In India, healthcare and innovation have advanced, yet rural and marginalised areas still lack access, infrastructure, and preventive care.
- World Population Day reminds us that population growth is not just a number. It demands action. Health systems must be inclusive, sustainable, and rooted in both technology and community.
- India spends only 3.6% of its GDP on health, far below the 8–11% typical of developed nations, limiting productivity and well-being.
- Census 2027 must go beyond headcount to capture actionable health data: age, disability, sanitation, healthcare access, and household risk factors.
Importance of the Census in Healthcare
- Health Mapping Opportunity
- The Census must be viewed as a health-mapping opportunity. It can reassess healthcare access, disease burden, ageing trends, and infrastructure gaps. India’s major public health gains have often relied on Census-based data.
- In 1994, India had 60% of global polio cases. The National Immunisation Programme reduced cases by 94% between 2009 and 2010, leading to the WHO declaring India “polio-free” in 2014.
- Similarly, the National Leprosy Eradication Programme used census-linked prevalence maps to target districts, reducing prevalence from 0.69 (2014-15) to 0.57 (2024-25).
- The TB control programme used demographic data to guide diagnostics and medicine distribution, achieving a 17.7% drop in incidence and a 21.4% fall in TB deaths between 2015 and 2023.
- The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the value of real-time, granular data — India conducted over 930 million tests and administered 2.2 billion vaccine doses by March 2023.
- Today, rising NCDs, mental illness, and emerging infections demand a data-driven, future-ready health strategy.
- Insights for healthcare outcomes
- The census provides key data on demographics and socio-economic patterns, enabling tailored policies.
- In the coming decade, its insights will be crucial for crafting responsive and forward-looking healthcare strategies.
- Large-scale health screenings
- With accurate population mapping, governments can identify underserved areas and organise mass health screening programmes.
- Public-private partnerships (PPPs) can play a pivotal role — private labs and NGOs can support mobile diagnostic vans, while local industries can fund periodic camps through CSR initiatives.
- Schools and workplaces can be targeted for age-specific screenings, and digital registries based on census clusters can ensure timely follow-up and preventive care.
- Community awareness for healthier lifestyles
- Census data helps pinpoint clusters with high malnutrition, anaemia, or poor child growth, enabling targeted, community-led responses.
- In rural areas, panchayats and self-help groups can boost nutrition by promoting kitchen gardens, nutrient-rich crops, and improving food delivery through PDS, ICDS, and midday meal monitoring.
- Census data reveals poor diets in urban low-income and migrant areas. Community efforts, including RWAs, NGOs, and local influencers like teachers and elderly women, can promote nutrition and food safety more effectively than top-down campaigns.
- Strengthening primary health infrastructure
- Despite 30,000+ PHCs, many northern and central regions remain underserved.
- Census data can pinpoint gaps and support upgrading PHCs to HWCs under Ayushman Bharat.
- Tamil Nadu and Kerala show effective, data-driven PHC implementation. In cities, trust in local GPs is vital; census-linked registries can help integrate them into the public health system.
- Planning for an ageing population
- India’s senior citizen population, 149 million in 2022, is projected to reach 227 million by 2036, nearly 15% of the population.
- This shift calls for a major rethink in healthcare delivery.
- Census data can identify elderly-dense areas, enabling targeted measures such as mobile geriatric units, chronic illness screening, and improved access to medicines.
- Telemedicine and home care can improve access in rural areas. States like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Himachal Pradesh can lead in elder-care innovation. Linking census data with welfare schemes ensures dignified, inclusive care for the elderly.
स्रोत : The Hindu