Bangladesh ahead of India in healthcare index: Report

The Lancet in its Global Burden of Disease report has revealed that India has recorded a poor health care index than several neighbouring Asian nations, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and China in last 25 years.

The data, in the report, takes a look at 195 countries, between the years 1990-2015, and assesses the measuring mortality rates from 32 diseases which should not be fatal in the presence of effective medical care, the Indian Express newspaper reported.

As per the report, India’s health care index has seen an increase of 14.1 in last 25 years, going up from 30.7 in 1990 to 44.8 in 2015, but the numbers are much lesser than Sri Lanka (72.8), Bangladesh (51.7), Bhutan (52.7) and Nepal (50.8).

The results revealed that India, in spite of socio-economic growth in the given time-period, has not managed to achieve its goals in health care department.

Meanwhile, earlier reports said that thousands of Bangladeshis go to India for taking treatment as the latest report shows one in three foreign patients in India are Bangladeshis.

The report shows that India has performed the worst in preventing deaths by Neonatal disorders, with an index rate of 14.

In dealing with rheumatic heart diseases, India has scored an index of 25; in tuberculosis, an index of 26, and in chronic kidney diseases, an index of 20.

Diabetes (38), Appendicitis (38) and Peptic ulcer disease (39) are the other main areas of concerns for India’s health department.

Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only SAARC nations to have a lower ranking than India, with a healthcare index of 43.1 and 32.5 respectively, as per the report.