India lagging in public health commitment

India, currently the world8217;s second fastest growing economy, has apparently failed to translate its success into public health commitment. According to a joint study by Assocham and PriceWaterhouseCoopers, the country8217;s health expenditure is just 20.7 per cent of total health expenditure, while the figures for Bangladesh, Pakistan and China are 25, 34.9 and 45 per cent respectively. India8217;s per capita expenditure on health is around 23 while its total health expenditure to gross domestic product is 6.1 per cent, the paper adds. The corresponding figures for Pakistan are 18 and 3.2 per cent respectively and those for Bangladesh are 14 and 3.1 per cent respectively. The per capita expenditure on health in the US is 4,499, 2,058 in Canada and 1,747 in the UK.

The study also highlights that India is likely to experience more deaths in the age group 35-64 than the US during 2000 to 2030.