From time immemorial man has been interested in trying to control
diseases. The common man, the priest, the herbalist and the magician, all
adopted various ways to cure man's disease and to bring relief to the sick.
It has been truly said that health is not everything, but everything else is
nothing without health. The explosion of knowledge during the 20th
century has made medicine more complex, the treatment more costly, but
the benefits of modern medicine have not yet penetrated the social
periphery in many countries, creating a chasm between rural and urban
areas, between the rich and poor.
1.1. Context of the study
India is the second most populous country in the world and has
changing socio-political, demographic and morbidity patterns that have
been drawing global attention in recent years. Despite several growthoriented
policies adopted by the government, the widening economic,
regional and gender disparities are posing challenges for the health sector.
As per 2001 census, India's total population is 1,028 million and 72 per
cent of this belongs to rural community. It is estimated that more than
seventy per cent of the health infrastructure and health resources are
concentrated in urban areas, where only 28 per cent of the population lives.
