CBSE Class 7 - Civics - CH2 - ROLE OF GOVERNMENT IN HEALTH

ROLE OF GOVERNMENT IN HEALTH

NCERT TEXTBOOK QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS

Q1: In this chapter you have read that health is a wider concept than illness. Look at this quote from the Constitution and explain the terms ‘living standard’ and ‘public health’ in your own words.

 An important part 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: is the environment, the atmosphere built across the surroundings of people
living in different regions.In well constructed urban areas standard of living is far better in
comparison to underdeveloped rural areas.Clean, pollution free surroundings lead to good living standards.
Whereas living in regions of dirty, poor sanitation, dusty lands leads to poor living standards.

Public Health: It is the wellness of all people, whether rich or poor, educated or uneducated, man or woman etc. to remain  healthy and free of any disease. Right to life is everyone's right without any discrimination. That is why it is named as "public" health and every individual can have the facilities given by the government in this respect.


Q2: What are the different ways through which the government can take steps to provide healthcare for all?Discuss.



Answer: The different ways through which the government can take steps to provide healthcare for all are:

1. Government could increase the number of hospitals or medical vans in rural and remote places.
2. Sanitation habits and proper drainage system could be improved.
3. With the help of different agencies, government could provide good filters with clean and safe   drinking water.
4. Proper garbage dumps and disposable bags should be provided and maintained.
5. By different campaigns and educational programmes, people should be aware of different health problems. 
6. Special treatments must be there for women, which are a vital part of our society. 
7. Medicines should be available either at free costs or at very low costs.
8. Even proper toilets and washrooms should be made and maintained in every corner of the society.

These are some of the ways for the improvement of health of our public which if implemented properly
could definitely bring a positive change in our society.

Q3: What differences do you find between private and public health services in your area? Use the following table to compare and contrast these:

Answer:

Facility	Cost of services	Availability of service
Private	Expensive (high cost)	Easily Available(use advance and modern techniques)
Public	Cheap(low cost)	Difficult to avail proper services(lack in efficiency)(lack of modern equipment)

Above table concludes that private health centers provide efficient, friendly, quality services. Doctors are well educated and qualified and provide best facilities to their patients and hence costly. Whereas public health centers,due to lack in infrastructure,provide services which don't match with the advanced techniques used by private ones but these facilities are easily used by poor people.


Q4 :‘Improvement in water and sanitation can control many diseases.’ Explain with the help of examples.

Answer: Improvement in water and sanitation can control numerous diseases especially water borne diseases.

Cholera, malaria, jaundice, typhoid, diarrhea, dysentery and other diseases could be prevented by special organised methods and techniques. Health of people and their standard of living would be improved.

Example - Regular checks of water coolers, roof tops and wherever the water is stagnant should be there in every house.These could prevent mosquito breeding and could save many lives.



SOME OTHER IMPORTANT QUESTIONS FOR EXAMS:

Q5: What are communicable diseases?

Answer: The diseases which spread from one person to another through different ways like through water, air, food, touch etc. are termed as communicable diseases.

Q2: What do you mean by a good health?

Answer: A state of free of any illness, disease, or sickness with a cool, fresh mind without taking any stress or pressure is what a good health means. A disease free person but in a depressed condition is not health.

Q3: Write the full form of OPD. Also tell its function.

Answer: The full form of OPD is Out Patient Department.This is where people are first brought in
and treated in a hospital without being admitted to any special ward.

Q4: Define the following:

Answer:
  a) Public: An activity or service that is meant for all people in the country and is mainly organised by
   the government. This includes schools, hospitals, telephone services, etc. People can demand
   these services and also raise questions about their non-functioning.

  b) Private: An activity or service that is organised by an individual or company for their own profit.

  c) Medical tourists: This refers to foreigners who come to this country specifically for medical treatment
     at hospitals that offer world–class facilities at a lower cost than what they would have to pay in
     their own countries.

Q5: Why Ranjan had to pay so much money?

Answer: Ranjan got his treatment from private hospital where the medicines and blood tests were expensive.
     He got a five star treatment there with best care.As private institutes have their own profits,
     so so much money was spent.Moreover at the reception only Rs.500 were taken.

Q6 :What category of people are prone to illness?

Answer: Those people who are unable to have proper meals, live in a dirty environment, don't have clean and portable water to drink, live in cramped conditions are prone to illness.

Q7: Read the story of Hakim Sheikh and answer the questions that follows:

The story of Hakim Sheik

Hakim Sheik was a member of the Paschim Banga Khet Mazdoor Samity (PBKMS), an organisation of agricultural labourers in West Bengal. One evening in 1992, he accidentally fell off a running train and suffered head injuries. He was in a very serious condition and needed immediate treatment.
He was taken to a government hospital in Kolkata but they refused to admit him because they did not have a spare bed. Another hospital did not have the facility or the specialised doctors necessary for his treatment. In this way he spent 14 hours in a critical state and was taken to eight different government hospitals, but none of them admitted him. Finally, he was admitted in a private hospital, where he received treatment. He spent a lot of money on his treatment. Angry and upset over the indifferent attitude of all the hospitals that
refused to admit him, Hakim Sheik and PBKMS filed a case in the court.


a) Imagine that you are a Judge in the court. What would you say to Hakim Sheik?

Answer: If I were a Judge in the court, I would sympathize with Hakim Sheikh by ordering the authorities to
pay him the money he had spent in the private hospital. Also I would ask for improving the conditions of
public hospitals as it is right of everybody to have the check up in any govt. hospital.The government
hospitals could not deny to any such treatment.

b) Where do you go for your treatment? How the services are there?

Answer: I prefer to go to private hospitals for my treatment as though expensive, it gives you the best possible treatment. In a very friendly manner they do your check up and prescribe you the latest beneficial medicines.
Once I visited the public hospital near my area with my maid who was not feeling well. We faced long queue and there was lack of modern techniques, but everything was very less expensive. Only two medicines,which were of low cost,were prescribed by the doctor. Different experiences are there in the two cases.