NCERT Solutions for Class 7 Civics Chapter 2 – Role of the Government in Health

 

NCERT Solutions for Class 7 Civics Chapter 2 – Role of the Government in Health

1. In this chapter, you have read that health is a wider concept than illness. Observe this quote from the Constitution and explain the terms ‘living standard’ and ‘public health’ in your own words. An important aspect of the Constitution says it is the “duty of the state to raise the level of nutrition and the standard of living and to improve public health”.

Living standard means how well someone lives based on their wealth, comfort, belongings, and health. Good hygiene shows a higher living standard, while poor hygiene shows a lower one. For example, living in clean places and eating clean food indicate a good living standard, while living in dirty places and eating unclean food indicate a low one.

Public health is about protecting and improving the health of a whole community through education, making rules, and studying how to stop diseases and injuries. Measures like how many people die, how many babies are born, and how well people eat show how good or bad public health is in a place.

 

2. What are the different ways through which the government can take steps to provide healthcare to all? Discuss.
The government can ensure basic healthcare for its citizens by empowering local panchayats with funding, making them self-reliant healthcare units like Kerala does. They should educate people about healthcare, including healthy habits and the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. Ensuring sanitation, safe drinking water, and proper nutrition is essential. Additionally, organizing free monthly health check-ups is crucial.

3. What differences do you find between private and public healthcare services in your area? Use the following table to compare and contrast these.

Facility	Cost of services	Availability of service
Private	High, very expensive	Everything is available but at a high cost
Public	Either free or at a subsidised cost	There is always a rush at public hospitals. Even though basic services are available, they are inadequate for the large number of patients visiting such hospitals

 

4. ‘Improvement in water and sanitation can control many diseases.’ Explain with the help of examples.

Poor quality water can cause diseases like cholera, typhoid, and jaundice to spread more easily. Places with bad water often become homes for parasites and insects. Stagnant water, especially, can make mosquitoes breed, which carry diseases like Chikungunya, Dengue, and Malaria. It's important to get rid of these places where parasites grow to make sure people nearby stay healthy.

 

For instance, in a recent dengue outbreak in a city, not taking care of the canals and lakes led to more cases of dengue and malaria. Mosquitoes need still water to grow, and these canals and lakes became perfect spots for them because of pollution and bad trash management. The outbreak only got better when the canals were cleaned out and the lakes were fixed using sewage plants and cleaning solutions.

What are the different ways through which the government can take steps to provide healthcare to all, as mentioned in Chapter 2 of NCERT Solutions for Class 7 Civics?

The government can ensure basic healthcare for its citizens through several steps:

1. State governments can fund local panchayats, like Kerala does, to make them self-reliant in healthcare.

2. Governments should educate the local people about healthcare, including healthy habits and the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.

3. Providing sanitation, safe drinking water, and proper nutrition is essential.

4. Organizing free monthly health check-ups will also be crucial.