Assessing and Prioritising Needs for the Occupational Health Infrastructure in India
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/00195561221097955 |
| Published date | 01 December 2022 |
| Date | 01 December 2022 |
| Subject Matter | Notes |
Assessing and
Prioritising Needs for
the Occupational
Health Infrastructure
in India
Sigamani Panneer1
Introduction
The workforce of India is constantly uctuating between the two extremes of high
demand for output on account of improved access to advanced technology and
enhanced industrial competitiveness, on one hand, and stagnated condition of the
occupational health infrastructure, on the other. This delicate situation is trans-
formed into a more intricate picture when additional factors and variables are con-
sidered as inputs. Indications from the International Labour Organization (ILO)
reveal that about 4% of Gross National Product (GNP) of the world in the year 1997
was lost on account of workplace injuries, accidents and diseases (Chandrasekaran,
2003). Regardless of the accelerated industrial production system since the New
Economic Policy of 1991, India stands way behind most international counterparts
in the promotion of occupational health status of its workforce. Troubled with the
global burden of both communicable and non-communicable diseases, poor quality
in the access and delivery of essential healthcare, high rate of out-of-pocket health
expenditure, socio-economic constraints and divided sociocultural fabric of the
country, the work–life balance is disturbed and average lifespan of a factory worker
remains adversely affected. Of the total Gross Domestic Product (GDP), total
expenditure incurred on health in India is only a little more than 4.2% while the
current public expenditure is not even 2%, in addition to which the out-of-pocket
expenses account for more than 70% of expenditure (WHO, 2013). Reportedly,
18% of the deaths in India occur on account of occupational diseases. Industrial
climate, rising index of pollution, increasing population and marginal living
Note
Indian Journal of Public
Administration
68(4) 723–729, 2022
© 2022 IIPA
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DOI: 10.1177/00195561221097955
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1 Department of Social Work and Centre for Happiness, Central University of Tamil Nadu,
Thiruvarur, Tamil Nadu, India.
Corresponding author:
Sigamani Panneer, Department of Social Work and Centre for Happiness, Central University of Tamil
Nadu, Thiruvarur, Tamil Nadu 610005, India.
E-mail: sigamanip@cutn.ac.in
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