Demographics Population (2011): 1,210,193,422 or over 1.21 billion! Population is increasing. Life expectancy (2010): 62.6 years (male), 64.2 (female). Projected to increase. Therefore, have an ageing population. Infant mortality rate (2010): 50 per 1000 live births.

Main causes of morbidity and mortality(2010): Communicable diseases e.g. infectious and parasitic diseases e.g. malaria, acute respiratory diseases e.g. pneumonia, TB, and acute diarrhoeal diseases. Non-communicable diseases e.g. CHD, DM, cancer, neuropsychiatric disorders, blindness deaths due to accident in No. 1 cause of death = diseases of the circulatory system.

Health Policy First national health policy (1983) – aimed to achieve health for all through provision of primary healthcare services. Also, involvement of voluntary organisations, provision of drugs and vaccines, family planning, medical research, nutrition, drinking water and sanitation (inter-departmental cooperation).

Revised national health policy (2002) – aim for acceptable standard of good health among general population. Goals set to be met by 2015 e.g. Increase in public expenditure, decentralisation of health programmes to local governing bodies, increased access to traditional medicine, eradicate leprosy by

70% of people living in India use some form of traditional medicine for primary healthcare (WHO). Safety concerns – US studies 20% of Ayurvedic treatments contained toxic levels of heavy metals such as lead, mercury and arsenic. Also herbs containing toxic compounds and the lack of quality control in Ayurvedic facilities (Saper, R. B.; Phillips, R. S. et al. (2008) Lead, Mercury, and Arsenic in US- and Indian-manufactured ayurvedic Medicines Sold via the Internet, Journal of the American Medical Association 300 (8): 915–923).