Solutions for NCERT Class 7 Civics Social and Political life ll Chapter 2 Role of the Government in Health

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Find Answers to NCERT – Class 7- Civics Social and Political life-ll Chapter 2 – Role of the Government in Health

. In this chapter, you have read that health is a wider concept than illness. Observe this quote from the Constitution and explain the terms ‘living standard’ and ‘public health’ in your own words. An important aspect of the Constitution says it is the “duty of the state to raise the level of nutrition and the standard of living and to improve public health”.
Answer:

Living standard:
‘Living standard’ is the measurement of the quality-of-life led by people of a certain community or geographical area. If they have access to safe drinking water, nutritious food, shelter, good healthcare, and sanitation facilities, their living standard may be considered to be high, or else they have a low living standard.

It is one way of measuring whether a group of people or a community can afford a life of good quality or material prosperity. The purpose is to improve the quality of people’s lives through measures designed to increase incomes, provide education, healthcare and access to basic necessities.

Public Health:
‘Public Health’ is the science of improving and promoting physical and mental health, preventing disease, prolonging life expectancy and well-being of a community. The aim is to minimise human suffering and ensure that the population thrives by measures taken to improve sanitation, promote personal hygiene, control infectious diseases and provide easy access to organised health services.

2. What are the different ways through which the government can take steps to provide healthcare to all? Discuss.
Answer:
The government can take following steps to provide healthcare to all:

• Provide safe drinking water, drainage, sanitation, nutrition to all, since public health depends as much on basic amenities and social conditions as on healthcare.
• Implement the Kerala model by empowering all local panchayats to develop a holistic plan to tackle specific requirements of each village.
• Educate the local populace about personal hygiene, clean uncontaminated surroundings, and a healthy lifestyle.
• Set up more low cost but well-equipped hospitals in rural areas.
• Train more doctors, nurses and paramedics to work specifically in rural areas.
• Organise free health camps to detect and treat diseases on a regular basis.
• Mobile health clinics to make weekly visit to remote areas
• Sufficient generic medicines to be provided at nominal costs.

3. What differences do you find between private and public healthcare services in your area? Use the following table to compare and contrast these.

Facility	Affordability	Availability	Quality
Public
Private

Answer:

Facility	Affordability	Availability	Quality
Private	Very expensive	Doctors, hospitals, nursing homes, diagnostic centres are  available, but at high cost in towns and cities. Only a few Registered Medical Practitioners (RMP)are available in villages	Excellent infrastructure and treatment, but costly
Public	Free or at subsidised cost	Only health care centres are available in villages. There are no diagnostic facilities in rural areas. Health care centres, hospitals, diagnostic centres are available in cities, but they are inadequate to deal with the rush of patients.	Inadequate facilities in villages.   Good infrastructure but inadequate as there are too many patients, time-consuming treatment.

4. ‘Improvement in water and sanitation can control many diseases.’ Explain with the help of examples.
Answer:
Improvement in water and sanitation can control many diseases because drinking contaminated water makes people vulnerable to waterborne diseases like cholera, typhoid, jaundice, hepatitis to name a few. Moreover, open canals and stagnant waterbodies also become breeding grounds for parasites and mosquitoes which spread vector borne diseases like malaria, dengue and encephalitis, chikungunya.

Examples of ways in which water borne diseases may be prevented are:

• by providing access to safe drinking water
• advising people to boil water before drinking.
• Water quality can be improved by reducing pollution
• preventing release of hazardous chemicals in water bodies
• Treating waste water coming out of homes and factories before being released into lakes and rivers.
• Building and maintaining toilets, waste management systems and safe disposal of human waste so that they do not contaminate water bodies.

Examples of ways to stop breeding of mosquitoes:

• preventing dumping of waste in canals and waterways which reduce water flow and make them stagnant. It is also necessary to clear the blockages so the water keeps flowing.
• draining out all vessels with standing water.
• covering storage tanks, buckets and cans of water so that mosquitoes cannot lay eggs in them.
• Spraying a layer of oil on the surface of the water kills the mosquito larva

Solutions for In Text questions of NCERT Class 7 Civics Social and Political life ll Chapter 2 Role of the Government in Health

Text Book Page no 13

1. Would you associate all or some of these pictures with ‘health’? In what ways? Discuss in groups.
Answer:
All the pictures are associated with health. They relate to the following:

1. Access to safe drinking water to prevent water borne diseases

2.Unsanitary conditions in a slum where garbage thrown in open bins is a breeding ground for diseases.

3. Picture of a mobile health unit visiting a village to offer health care.

4. Nurses walking to the hospital to begin their duty.

5. Surgeons operating on a patient in a hospital.

6. People jogging to keep fit and healthy.

2. Pick two situations from the above collage are not related to illness and write two sentences on how they are related to health.
Answer:

(i) The picture of the boy getting a haircut from a barber using a traditional razor which is probably not sterilised and could transmit diseases like aids.

(ii) Picture of pots and utensils lined up to collect is important because drinking contaminated water can spread water borne diseases like cholera, jaundice, diarrhoea, typhoid to name a few.

Text book Page no 14

1. Can you provide a title to these columns?
Answer:

Left-hand Column – “Strengths of the Indian Healthcare System “

Right-hand column – “Drawbacks of the Indian Healthcare System”

2. In India, it is often said that we are unable to provide health services for all because the government does not have enough money and facilities. After reading the above left-hand column, do you think this is true? Discuss.
Answer:
Yes, I agree that the government does not allocate sufficient funds for health care so all citizens cannot avail of health services. The infrastructure for health care is negligible in villages and in urban areas the infrastructure is insufficient to cater to the number of patients.

• Although It is a fact that 30000 new doctors qualify every year, we still have a dearth of doctors in rural areas.
• The number of government hospitals has increased from 1950, but they have not been able to keep pace with the growing population of our country and there are not enough hospitals in rural areas.
• Medical tourists come for treatment to luxurious private hospitals which ordinary Indians cannot afford.
• Although India is a producer and exporter of medicines, Indian hospitals run out of medicines which poor patients have to buy privately.

Text Book Page no 18

1. Where do you go when you are ill? Are there any problems that you face? Write a paragraph based on your experience.
Answer:
I go to see a private physician when I fall sick.

On my last visit I had to wait a while in a luxurious and comfortable lounge.

After examining me the physician ordered a number of expensive diagnostic tests and prescribed two antibiotic drugs and a whole lot of other medicines and tonics which were very costly.

2. What problems did Aman face in the government hospital? How do you think the hospital can work in a better manner? Discuss.
Answer:
Aman was sick but had to wait in a long queue at the OPD department and again at the blood sample collection counter.He had to go back again with his test results after three days to consult the doctor and get his medicines. Government hospitals could function more efficiently if there were more counters and doctors to deal with the rush of patients.

3. Why did Ranjan have to spend so much money? Give reasons.
Answer:
Rajan had to spend a lot of money because he went to a luxurious private hospital where one pays for every service that one gets. Before even consulting the doctor, his father had to pay Rs 500/-Rajan got quick and courteous service and saved a lot of time by choosing the private hospital for his treatment.

4. What problems do we face in private hospitals? Discuss
Answer:
Treatment in private hospitals comes at a high cost, so we have to pay a lot for every service that we receive.
Often in private hospitals doctors advise unnecessary tests which are expensive and also prescribe superfluous medication, costly injections and saline when simple medication would have sufficed.

Text book Page no 19

1. In what ways is the public health system meant for everyone?
Answer:
According to our Constitution it is the primary duty of the government to provide health care facilities to all.
The public health system aims to provide quality health care services either free or at low cost, so that even the poor have access to treatment.
Another function of public health is to prevent the spread of infectious diseases such as TB, malaria, jaundice, etc. These measures benefit everyone.

2. List some Primary Health Centres (PHCs) or hospitals near your place.
From your experience (or by visiting any one of them), find out the facilities provided and people who run the centre.
Answer:
Government health Centres and hospitals near Saket are:

(i) Dindayal Upadhyay Hospital

(iii) Pt Madan Mohan Malaviya Hospital

(iv)UPHC, Saket

(v) Delhi Government Ayush Dispensary, Saket

(vi) Govt of Delhi Dispensary, Saket

I visited Pt Madan Mohan Malviya hospital which is a government hospital. The Emergency and OPD services are very good. The hospital is relatively clean and free treatment is provided to all. But it is over-crowded. Patients queue up for hours at the registration counter, for their check up, and finally to get free medicines.

Text book Page no 20

1. Private health facilities can mean many things. Explain with the help of some examples from your area.
Answer:
Private health facilities range from Registered Medical Practitioners (RMP)in rural areas, doctors running private clinics in urban centres, privately owned hospitals and nursing homes, multi-speciality hospitals that offer state-of-the-art treatment, to large corporate hospitals.
The common thing among them is that they run for profit so the cost of services is too high for the common man to afford. The doctors tend to prescribe expensive drugs instead of generic versions and also advise superfluous tests.

Extra Questions for NCERT Class 7 Civics Social and Political life ll Chapter 2 Role of the Government in Health

A. Multiple Choice type Questions (MCQ)

1. Which of the following factors affect our health?
(i) Quality of drinking water
(ii) nutritous food
(iii) pollution free environment
(iv) All of the above

2. If 30000 new doctors qualify every year, why is there a dearth of doctors in rural India?
(i)  Most doctors prefer to stay in urban centres
(ii) People do not fall sick in rural centres
(iii)People in rural centres do not like modern medicine.
(iv) None of the above

3. India is the _______largest manufacturer of medicines in the world
(i) fourth
(ii) second
(iii) fifth
(iv) none of the above

4.  What comprises the public health care system
(i) The government doctors
(ii) clinics and hospitals
(iii) a system of hospitals and health centers run by the government.
(iv) None of the above

5. If a hospital cannot provide timely medical treatment to a patient, which right is being violated?
(i) Right to equality
(ii)Right to free treatment
(iii) Right to life
(iv) All of the above

6.The government uses tax money for ________ .
(i) providing affordable healthcare to all
(ii) Building roads and bridges
(iii) free education for all
(iv) All of the above

7. Which of the following would you find in a rural centre?
(i) RMP
(ii) HC
(iii) PHC
(iv) all of the above

8. What percentage of the budget is given to panchayats in Kerala?
(i) 10%
(ii) 25%
(iii) 50%
(iv) 40%

9. The Constitution states that it is the duty of the State to ___________
(i) raise the level of nutrition
(ii) to raise the standard of living
(iii) to improve public health
(iv) All of the above

10. Which of the following is not a water borne disease?
(i) cholera
(ii) Typhoid
(iii) malaria
(iv) diarrhoea

Answer:

1.(iv) All of the above

2.(i)  Most doctors prefer to stay in urban centres

3. (iv) none of the above – Indiai the third largest manufacturer of medicines.

4. (iii) a system of hospitals and health centers run by the government.

5. (iii) Right to life

6.(iv) All of the above

7. (iv) all of the above – RMP – Registered Medical practitioner. HC- health Centre, PHC- Primary Health Centre

8. (iv) 40%

9. (iv) All of the above

10. (iii) malaria

B. Fill in the blanks with suitable words from the box to complete the following sentences:

prevent	public	health	government	poor
care	diseases	free	treatment	participation

1. One of the most important aspects of public _______ system is that it is meant to provide

Quality health _______ services either _____ ot at a low cost, so that even the  _______ can seek ________.

2. Another important function of ________ health is to take action to _______ the spread of  ___________ such as TB, malaria, jaundice, cholera, diarrhoea, chikungunya. This has to be organised by the ___________ with the ________ of people otherwise it is not effective.

Answer:

1. One of the most important aspects of public health system is that it is meant to provide

quality health care services either free or at a low cost, so that even the poor can seek treatment.

2. Another important function of public health is to take action to prevent the spread of  diseases such as TB, malaria, jaundice, cholera, diarrhoea, chikungunya. This has to be organised by the government with the participation of people otherwise it is not effective.

C. Match the words in column A with those in column B

A	B
Two million	People die from tuberculosis every year
Five lakh	Number of government hospitals in India
30000	of the population can afford all the medicines they require during illness
23583	Cases of malaria are reported every year
20%	New doctors qualify every year

Answer:

A	B
Two million	cases of malaria are reported every year
Five lakh	people die from tuberculosis every year
30000	New doctors qualify every year
23583	Number of government hospitals in India
20%	of the population can afford all the medicines they require during illness

D. State whether the following statements are TRUE or FALSE:

1. In India, we face a situation where private services are increasing but public services are not.

2. The number of doctors with respect to the population in rural areas is adequate.

3. Treatment in Government hospitals is speedy and free.

4.Women are not taken to a doctor in a prompt manner.

5. 21% of all communicable diseases are waterborne.

Answers:

1. True

2. False – the number of doctors with respect to the population is much less in rural areas because  doctors  prefer to settle in urban areas.

3. False – Treatment in government hospitals is free or low cost, but it is time-consuming because of the large number of patients lining up for the services.

4. True – Women’s health concerns are considered to be less important than the health of men in the family.

5. True

E.  Very Short Answer type Questions:

1. What do people consider the role of the government in a democracy?
Answer:
In a democracy,  people expect the government to work for their welfare.

2. What do people need to be healthy?
Answer:
People need adequate food, safe drinking water, pollution free and clean environment, physical activity and freedom from mental strain to be healthy.

3. Why are there fewer doctors in rural areas than in urban centres?
Answer:
There are fewer doctors in rural areas because most doctors prefer to stay in urban centres.

4. Is the average indian citizen able to get treated at private hospitals?
Answer:
No, the average Indian patient cannot afford treatment at expensive private hospitals.

5. How many children in India are undernourished?
Answer:
Half the children in India are undernourished because they do not get adequate food to eat.

6. What do you understand by the public health care system?
Answer:
It is a system of hospitals and health centers run by the government.

7. What is the paradox about  health care in India?
Answer:
The paradox is that in spite of having well- equipped hospitals and experienced doctors, the government is unable to provide proper healthcare to all people.

8. What is the primary duty of the government according to our Constitution?
Answer:
According to our Constitution , the primary duty of the government is to ensure the welfare of the people and provide health facilities to all.

9. What Right must the Government safeguard ?
Answer:
The government must safeguard the Right to Life of every person.

10. What order did the Court give in in Hakim Sheikh’s case?
Answer:
The court ordered the State Government to reimburse  the money Hakim Sheikh had spent on his treatment.

11. What difficulties do rural people face when they fall sick?
Answer:
They have to travel to urban centres for treatment.

12. Who runs Health Centres in villages?
Answer:
Usually a nurse and a village health worker trained to deal with common diseases, working under the supervision of doctors at the Primary health Centre, run Health centres in villages.

13. What is the function of a Primary Health Centre?
Answer:
Primary Health Centres have doctors who supervise the work of village health centres and they provide curative and preventive health care to several villages.

14. What is the full form of RMP? Where would you find them?
Answer:
The full form of RMP is Registered Medical Practitioner. They are found engaged in private practice in rural centres.

15. Name two vector borne disease.
Answer:
Malaria and dengue are two vector borne diseases which are transmitted by mosquitoes.

16. Name two water-borne diseases.
Answer:
Cholera and jaundice are two water-borne diseases.

17. Which Indian state gave 40% of the state budget to panchayats?
Answer:
The state of Kerala in 1996 gave 40% of the state budget to panchayats for overall development.

18. In which continent is Costa Rice situated?
Answer:
Costa Rica is situated in North America.

F. Short Answer Type Questions:

1.What is needed in order to prevent and treat illnesses?
Answer:
In order to prevent and treat ilnesses, facilities such as health centres, hospitals, laboratories for testing, ambulance services, blood banks ,etc that provide the required care and services that patients need are required. In order to run these facilities, adequate health workers, nurses, qualified doctors and other health professionals who can advise, diagnose and treat diseases are required. Medicines and equipment to treat patients are also needed.

2. What does the Medical Council of India’s Code of Medical Ethics state?
Answer:
The Medical Council of India’s Code of Medical Ethics states that every physician should , as far as possible, prescribe drugs with generic names and shall ensure that there is a rational prescription and use of drugs.

3. Do you agree that health is a wider concept than illness?
Answer:
Health is normally defined as a person’s ability to remain free from illness and injuries, but health has much wider implications than disease. There are several factors which affect our health. People with access to clean drinking water, adequate nutritous food, fresh air and unpolluted environment are likely to enjoy good health. On the other hand people who live in cramped conditions and lead dull, inactive lives will be prone to illness. All these various aspects of our lives are a part of health.

4. What are the encouraging and positive aspects of healthcare in India?
Answer:
A few encouraging facts about healthcare in India are as follows:

• India has the highest number of medical colleges in the world and approximately 30000 new doctors qualify every year which is among the highest in the world.

• Healthcare facilities have grown over the years and there are now more than 23583 government hospitals in the country.

• India gets a large number of medical tourists who avail of world class treatment in Indian hospitals at a fraction of the cost they would have paid in their own countries.

• India is the third largest producer of medicines in the world and a large exporter also.

5. What are the demerits of heathcare in India?
Answer:
The demerits of healthcare in India are as follows:

• People living in rural areas face a lot of hardship in the absence of well-equipped hospitals and diagnostic centres. They have to travel long distances to reach doctors who like to settle in urban centres.
• About 5 lakh people still  die of tuberculosis every year. There are also two million reported cases of malaria every year and the number shows no signs of decreasing.
• Clean drinking water is not available to all. So, poor people fall prey to waterborne diseases like typhoid, dysentry and jaundice.
• Half of the children in India are undernourished.

6. What are the important features of the public health care system in India?
Answer:
The important features of the public health care system in India are as follows:

• It provides quality health care services at no cost or at a low cost so that even the poor can seek treatment.
• It takes action to prevent the spread of diseases such as TB, malaria, jaundice, cholera, diarrhoea, chikungunya, etc.
• It consists of a chain of health centres and hospitals run by the government which cover both rural and urban areas and can provide treatment for all kinds of problems from common illnesses to specialised services.
• The resources needed to provide these services are obtained from the taxes paid by the public. So, these facilities are meant for everyone.

G. Long answer Type Questions

1. Is the healthcare system able to cater to the needs of all citizens?

Answer:

The  healthcare system is not able to cater to the needs of all citizens of our country. This is largely because there is a rapid expansion of infrastructure in private healthcare services as large companies are investing in healthcare, but  infrastructure in the  public healthcare sector is lagging behind.

As a result, private healthcare services are easily available to people. But these services are mainly concentrated in urban areas and are very expensive. The poor people cannot afford them. So when there is a serious illness in the family, they are compelled to borrow money or sell their possessions to pay for the treatment.

Medical expenses cause a lot of hardship for the poor. In fact barely 20% of the population can afford all the medicines that they require during illness. Therefore, the poor avoid going to a doctor unless it is very urgent.

Women’s health needs are neglected because their health concerns are not considered as important as that of men in the family. Many tribal areas have few health centres which do not run properly. So we can say that  adequate healthcare is not available to all.

2. Compare public health services with those of private health services

Public Health Services	Privare Health Services
A chain of health centres and hospitals run by the government covering both rural and urban areas	A wide range of private health facilities owned privately by individuals or companies
Funded out of taxes paid by public, Profit is not the objective.They provide free treatment or low cost treatment so the poorest can seek treatment easily.	They are run for profit, so the cost of treatment is very high. The ordinary Indian cannot afford such expensive treatment.
They are found both in rural and in urban areas	Private health services are concentrated in urban centres.
There is a huge rush in government hospitals.People have to queue up at several places to get treatment.	There are no queues in private hospitals. The private hospitals are well-maintained and comfortable.

3.  What steps did  the Costa Rican Government take to provide healthcare to all its citizens?

Answer:

The Costa Rican government decided to prioritise healthcare because it believed that a country has to be healthy for its development.
Costa Rica is one of the healthiest countries in Central America because several years ago they took an important decision not to have an army. So the Costa Rican Government could spend  the funds that the army would have used on healthcare for all Costa Ricans.
The government provides basic services and amenities like safe drinking water, sanitation, nutrition and housing. It also stresses the importance of health education. So knowledge about health is an essential part of education at all levels.The Costa Rican approach to healthcare is admirable.

4. What changes were introduced by the Kerala government in 1996. How did these changes affect healthcare?

Answer:

Kerala Government made some major changes in budget allocation in 1996. Forty per cent of the entire state budget was allocated to panchayats for their development.
This made it possible for a village to plan and provide holistically  for its requirements. A village could make sure that proper planning was done for water, food, women’s development and education.
They ensured that the water supply schemes were checked, the working of schools and anganwadis was ensured and any specific problem of the village was taken up. Health centres were also improved.

But in spite of their efforts, some problems like shortage of medicines, insufficient hospital beds , not enough doctors remain and need to be addressed.

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