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Impact of Social Inequality on Health: An Indian Perspective

Presented by:

Yade Lal TekhreFormer Director (Research)

National Human Rights Commission, India

&Former Prof. of Sociology

National Institute of Health and Family Welfare

New Delhi, Government of India

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Socio-economic and cultural issues

Population and Demographic profile

Family and community based facts and figures

Social problems and challenges

This presentation is based on social determinants of health

• Second largest country in the world• India lives in villages • Social Stratification: caste & class • Joint family system• Economic disparity • Poor health facilities• Density of population

Basic features of India: in relation to health

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Rate of Increase in Indian Population

https://www.youtube.com

Per Year 1,55,31,000

Per Month 12,73,033

Per Day 42,434

Per Hour 1,768

Per Minute 2904/15/2023

THE FAMILY AND COMMUNITY

• Unplanned pregnancy & unwanted child• Early marriage and early pregnancy• Socialization of the girl child• Average age at marriage• Gender inequality• Child marriage • Size of the family• Son preference

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• Multiple pregnancies • Low male participation in RCH• Joint family system• Gender discrimination • Poor socialization of the girl child • Stigma/Misconceptions about:

food, delivery of health care, disease etc

• Unsafe deliveries, poor ANC registration/Institutional deliveries

• Dowry death; suicide rate04/15/2023

Community & Society

• Basic occupation still agriculture• Tribal, rural and scattered population difficult to

approach • Alcoholism, crime rate, food habits, • Poor health status: maternal and child health:

Anemia • Illiteracy: poor enrolment, drop outs, quality of

education04/15/2023

Violence and crime• Violence against women (dowry deaths)• Rape (a rape every 22 minutes) many unreported

• Religious complex• Terrorism, naxalite caste related violence• Female foeticide and infanticide• Violation of human rights • Child labour and slavery (bondage labour)04/15/2023

• Human trafficking: women and childrenwomen and girls are trafficked within the country for the

purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced marriage especially in those areas where the sex ratio is highly skewed in favour of men

• Violation of Human Rights Life, Liberty, Equality and Dignity Organ transplantation Primary health Lack of treatment of chronic/communicable disease

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Social stratifications• Peculiar Class & Caste system

inferiority complex cultural practices social status untouchability & discrimination social mobility endogamy restricted choice of occupation

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Economic status: Poverty and unemployment

• Human Development Index Rank 136• 0ut of 186 countries Low per capita income $1570 in 2013, ranked at 120th out of 164 countries by the World Bank

• Pitiable sanitation conditions• Corruption• work culture, unequal wages, wider gap

between have and have not (21% of the world’s global burden of disease, anemia among children and women)

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Environmental issues• Pollution: air, soil, water, thermal, radioactive• Poor hygienic living conditions• Hazardous workplace• Occupational & waterborne disease• Unsafe drinking water and poor sanitation• Deforestation• Natural calamities: drought, flood, stock,

earthquakes, cyclone, hot waves, cold waves 04/15/2023

Major Initiatives and Achievements to Overcome Challenges & Inequalities

• Empowerment of women and children• Partnership with stakeholders: Public Private Partnership, health sector reform

• Economic and educational attainments• Socio-economic developments: drugs and technology, health

information system• Strengthen of public health system and universal health

coverage: preventive, curative & promotive• Policies and programs for overall development

THANK

YOU