We have always believed, always known our doctors to be saviours. But do we know that every 11th Indian doctor has a malpractice case against him or her? This by the conservative calculations made by health activists. Do we know that health tops the list of India's most corrupt sectors? According to a 2001 Transparency International study, health providers grabbed 28 per cent of the bribes paid in the country, a huge Rs. 7,578 crore. And do we know that even doctors, at least those with a finger on the pulse of the problem, have begun complaining of the lack of regulation in medical practice and education in India? (Source: Outlook, February 3, 2003): Read Full Report of TI India Here

15,501 hospitals in India have a total of 908,280 beds, according to the health ministry. This works out to 1 hospital per 63,307 people and 1 bed for 1,080 people. (Source: The Week, February 2, 2003)

2% is the annual growth rate of population in India. Only 6 states have a population control policy. (Source: The Week, February 2, 2003)

40 acres of 150 acres of the Jehangirpuri marsh (Delhi) is filled with toxic fly ash. (Source: The Times of India, January 26, 2003)

78% respondents still use public toilets, 96% rate the humble ceiling fan as their most prized possession...even those earning about Rs. 3,000 per month prefer to go to a private clinic instead of 'wasting' their time in public health institutions. (Source: The Telegraph, December 18, 2002, quoting a survey by TISS in Mumbai & its outskirts)

Over 4 million Indians are HIV positive, double the figure in 1994...the figure will be 25 million in 2010...this despite the Rs. 1,000 crore spent annually on AIDS prevention. (Source: India Today, December 9, 2002)

Unfunded government pensions in India are estimated at Rs. 650,000 crore, which is more than India's foreign debt. (Source: Business India, November 11-24, 2002)

There are about 2 million cases of bounced cheques pending in Indian courts, involving an amount of Rs. 50,000 crore. (Source: Business India, November 11-24, 2002)

80% respondents say sexual harassment exists in their workplaces; 58% haven't heard of the Supreme Court guidelines on sexual harassment; & 68% say bosses are to be blamed for sexual harassment in the workplaces. (Source: The Telegraph, November 10, 2002, quoting studies by Sakshi [2002], Sanlaap [2001] & Sanhita [2001])

Salary & pension payments in Orissa account for more than 155% of the state's own revenues & nearly 70% of its total revenues. (Source: The Telegraph, October  23, 2002)

Almost 3 out of 5 women in India accept one or the other reason (dowry, suspected infidelity, disrespect for in-laws, neglect of house or children, going out without permission, bad cooking) as justification for being beaten up (by husband or in-laws). (Source: The Statesman, October  22, 2002, quoting NFHS 2)

More than 42,260 metric tons of rice, valued at Rs. 33.34 crores, & meant for the Targeted PDS was found missing from the district godowns in West Bengal by the Accountant General, West Bengal. (Source: The Statesman, October  18, 2002)

Irrigation (in India) does not even pay for its operation & maintenance expenditures. (Source: The Telegraph, October 7, 2002- quoting SL Rao, former DG, NCAER)

In India, only four out of ten women of reproductive age have heard of AIDS. (Source: USAID)

Only seven states in India have under-nutrition levels of below 20%. (Source: USAID)

In West Bengal, six out of every ten women are anaemic. (Source: NFHS 2)

Almost 2 million foetuses are killed in India every year simply because they are female. (Source: BBC)

In India one person dies of TB every minute, making India home to the world's largest number of TB patients. (Source: The Hindu, June 13, 2002)

It just takes 26,000 hand pumps running for 10 hours to suck Delhi dry of all its groundwater. (Source: The Week, May 26, 2002)

More than 130 million children worldwide are not in school, and more than half of those are Indians. (Source: UNICEF: State of the World's Children, 2000)

47% of children under 3 years of age in India are classified as under-nourished. (Source: NFHS 2, for the period 1996-1998)

Less than one-fourth of the households in India have toilet facilities within the premises of their residence. (Source: Census of India, 1991)

Nearly Rs. 400.00 billion is spent every year on rural development schemes in India by way of Central & State schemes. (Source: Mid-Term Appraisal of the IXth Plan)

Almost 40% of the food grain stored in India is destroyed either due to rotting or by rodents. (Source: The Statesman, July 21, 2002)

During the period 1992 to 1999, India's percentage of Central expenditure on education was 2%, on health 3%, and on defence 16%. (Source: UNICEF: State of the World's Children, 2001)

There is a one in four chance that that hospitalized Indians fall below the poverty line because of excessive hospital expenses. (Source: Business India, December 24, 2001)

Nearly 7 lakh children die due to diarrhoea annually in India; about 3 crore rural people suffer from sanitation-related diseases; the country loses 18 crore man days per year due to sickness caused by sanitation-related diseases, & the economic loss due to this is estimated at Rs. 1200 crore a year. (Source: India Today, July 29, 2002)

Andhra Pradesh has the highest Burden of Disease or BOD (266 per 1000 population) in India, followed by Karnataka (251), West Bengal (248), Punjab (242) & Maharashtra (225). (Source: Study by R Durvasulu of ASCI, Hyderabad)

There are more doctors than nurses in all states of India (except in Kerala). (Source: Everyone Loves a Good Drought- P Sainath)