Technology and status of health care delivery in third world with special reference to India

Most of the developing countries of the world are signatory to the Alma Ata Charter of 1978 committed to provide ‘Health for All by the year 2000’. The paper reviews how these countries are striving towards the above goal with some supportive advice from WHO and UNICEF. Structuring the health service programmes and logistics starting from setting up primary health care centres, introducing modem technological methods, sometimes combining modem medicine with the age-old traditional medicines, introducing mass immunisation and improving sanitary and environmental conditions are some of the salient features which contribute towards better medicare service. The first part of the paper gives an overview of the total third world situation and the second part deals somewhat more elaborately the Indian scenario.