Direction (Qs.1 to 10): Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words are given in bold to help you locate them while answering some of the questions.

After “Liberalization”, “Globalization” and the consequent change in the new international economic order as well as new information technology order, a new catchphrase is being coined: “A New Health Order”. Talking about setting it up is the theme of the WHO –sponsored international conference, currently being held at Milan in Italy on primary health and medical care issues. While much has been said and debated on establishing the “new order”, little has the effort been done? Will the conference at Milan too go with the “new health order”, go home and then forget about it or will the current medical and healthcare set- up in poor countries further embed itself? This does not have to be the providence of the radical resolutions that will indubitably be passed at Milan. The million dollar question is that whether the governments will muster the will, the resources, the administrative and other infrastructures to carry out what is entirely within their power to attain and implement.

The dimensions of the problem are known and the solutions broadly agreed on. The bulk of the population in the poor countries who live in rural areas, are left untouched by all this and must rely on traditional healers. The answer to turn out medical/ health personnel sufficiently, trained to handle the daily complaints and to acknowledge villagers to pay adequate attention to cleanliness, hygienic sanitation, garbage disposal and other elementary but crucial matters. More complicated sickness can be referred to with the properly equipped centres in district towns, cities and metro cities. Conventional healers, whom village people trust, can be among these intermediate personnel. Some third- world countries including India have launched schemes or are preparing more efficient plans of this nature. But the experience is not quite happy. There is reluctance from the medical establishment which sees them as little more than licensed sham but is not prepared either to offer concentrated medical courses such as the former licentiate course available in this country and now unwisely scrapped. There is the question of how much importance to give to indigenous system if medicine. And there is the difficult matter of striking the right balance between preventive healthcare and curative medical attention. These are the complex issues and the Milan conference would perhaps be more effectual if it were to discuss such peculiar subjects.