CRITICAL CARE IN INDIA

India is a vast democracy of nearly one billion people. Before the Bri tish rule Ended in 1947, the life span of an Indian was a mere 21 year s. Within a short span of 50 years, it increased to an impressive 63 y ears, largely due to public health measures initiated by the governmen t. This created a pool of more than 300 million middle class Indians w ho could afford the benefits of modern and specialized care when neede d. Critical care medicine, as practiced in the West, is still confined to large Metropolitan areas. A large pool of expatriate Indian physic ians from all over the world are helping bridge the resource gap betwe en the West and India by transfer of technology and providing appropri ate training to physicians and paramedical personnel. This article des cribes the history and current status of development of critical care medicine in India.