Patna : As the world marks World Health Day today under the theme “My Health, My Right”, health experts in India have voiced serious concern over the growing burden of disease and the lack of adequate time doctors can spend with patients—leading to preventable complications and a loss in treatment effectiveness.
This year’s focus is on Healthy Beginning, Hopeful Future, with an emphasis on reducing maternal and newborn mortality. But doctors on the ground say systemic gaps continue to jeopardise public health outcomes.
Dr Harihar Dixit, Head of the Department of Pharmacology at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS) in Patna, highlighted a chronic issue: “Due to the high doctor-to-patient ratio, neither government nor private practitioners are able to give patients more than one or two minutes of consultation.” This, he said, falls far short of the Medical Council of India (now National Medical Commission) guideline recommending a minimum of 10 minutes per patient.
Dr Dixit added that many patients are prescribed treatments—such as inhalers for asthma—without receiving proper instructions on usage. “Often, neither the doctor, nor the compounder, nor the pharmacist explains how to use it. As a result, the patient doesn’t benefit,” he said.
He emphasised that improving treatment quality requires reducing the crowding at tertiary hospitals like IGIMS and AIIMS by strengthening primary healthcare. “Doctors must be appointed at primary health centres based on patient load to ensure better care and advice.”
The health of a nation begins at birth
The need for a strong foundation in early health is echoed by Dr Ajay Kumar Sinha, Head of Medicine at Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (NMCH). “The yellow-thick milk (colostrum) produced by the mother in the first hour after birth is critical for a newborn’s immunity. Exclusive breastfeeding should continue for six months,” he said.
Dr Sinha stressed that habits like balanced nutrition, physical activity, proper sleep, stress management and hygiene must be instilled from childhood. He also advocated for regular paediatric counselling—even in the absence of illness—to build awareness of preventive health.
Maternal and newborn mortality: preventable yet persistent
According to Dr Indira Prasad, Associate Professor at AIIMS Patna, this year’s World Health Day theme calls for urgent action to lower maternal and newborn deaths. “Every year, around 300,000 women die due to pregnancy or childbirth, and over 2 million newborns die in the first month of life. A further 2 million are stillborn. That’s one preventable death every seven seconds,” she said, citing World Health Organization data.
Bihar is among the states promoting institutional deliveries through its “home-birth free panchayat” campaign, aimed at reducing high-risk births at home. Additionally, first referral units (FRUs) are being upgraded to manage complicated pregnancies surgically.
“Change will only come when women receive moral and physical support from families and doctors before, during, and after delivery,” Dr Prasad said.
Health as a human right
World Health Day, celebrated each year on April 7, commemorates the founding of the World Health Organization (WHO) and seeks to raise awareness about global health challenges. The day also serves as a reminder of the fundamental right to accessible, quality healthcare—something Indian doctors argue is increasingly under strain due to systemic gaps and lack of resources.
