Índia: poderio na área farmacêutica, fracasso na saúde pública.

A Índia é um país com uma indústria farmacêutica que está dominando o setor de genérico, por outro lado apresenta indicadores péssimos de saúde e nutrição. Abaixo, um despacho da Associated Press comentando pesquisa de saúde materno-infantil.

India Lags Behind West on Health Issues NEW DELHI -- Preliminary figures from the National Family Health Survey highlighted persistent gaps between the health of rural and urban India, and between health awareness among men and women, who in many parts of the country remain second class citizens. The most glaring problem in the 2005-2006 survey was the health of children. With about 46% of children malnourished -- a negligible improvement over the last survey, conducted in 1998-99 -- India is in the same league with nations like Burkina Faso and Cambodia. In China, Asia's other rising economic power and the country India often compares itself with, only 8% of children are underweight. The improved infant mortality rate -- down to 57 per 1,000 births from 68 in the previous survey -- remains dramatically lower in Western nations. In the U.S., for instance, it is seven per 1,000 births. Health in the countryside lagged far behind cities in every category where a comparison was offered. The rural infant mortality rate, for example, was 62 per 1,000 births, compared to 42 in urban areas. Nearly 51% of women made at least three visits to the doctor when they were pregnant, up from 44% in 1998-99. Some 41% had children in a hospital or clinic, up from about 34% in the last survey. The data also showed increased awareness about HIV. Some 57% of women who are or have been married knew about the virus -- a big jump from the 40% reported in 1998-99. But the figure is still likely to be criticized as far too low for a country with 5.7 million people infected with the disease, the most in the world. A much higher percentage of men in the same group -- 80% -- had heard about the disease. No comparison with the data from previous surveys was offered for men. The difference may have something to do with the fact that men are much more likely to be exposed to the country's media -- the survey found 80% of men had access to media, while only 65% of women did.