Public healthcare is not in the pink; it is deteriorating. In fact, it has been on a serious "decline' during the last two to three decades.

TO TAP the Rs 4,500-crore maternity care market, India's largest healthcare company Apollo Hospitals plans to set up a chain of 25-30 exclusive birth facility centres, designed as homelike wellness centres. The centres will come up over 2-3 years. Apollo Health and Lifestyle (AHL), a subsidiary of Apollo Hospitals that also runs Apollo Clinic chain, will set up these centres across the country. AHL runs two such centres, called Cradle, in Bangalore and Gurgaon, which was started in 2006 as a pilot project.

Public healthcare is not in the pink; it is deteriorating. In fact, it has been on a serious "decline' during the last two to three decades. This fact was highlighted by a report of the high-level group on services sector by the Planning Commission, which was released on Wednesday. The report stressed "shortage' of human resources as a major distressing factor. The report said according to the number of doctors registered (in 2006), a doctor-to-population ratio stands at 60:1,00,000, much below than that of Australia (249.1), UK (1,665.5) and US (548.9).

According to a Planning Commission report, while India is short of six lakh doctors, 10 lakh nurses and two lakh dental surgeons, Indian doctors who have migrated to developed countries form nearly 5% of their medical workforce.

Even as India faces an acute shortage of manpower in the healthcare sector, the country holds the top position when it comes to its physicians migrating to developed countries like Britain and the US. According to a Planning Commission report, while India is short of six lakh doctors, 10 lakh nurses and two lakh dental surgeons, Indian doctors who have migrated to developed countries form nearly 5% of their medical workforce. Almost 60,000 Indian physicians are estimated to be working in countries like US, UK, Canada and Australia alone.

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Tuesday launched a new health scheme under which cancer patients in the State will be provided chemotherapy drugs free of cost.

HAILAKANDI, March 25

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today formally launched the Government's free anti-cancer drugs treatment scheme at Dr B Borooah Cancer Institute.