Life expectancy of children in India is better than those in deprived suburbs of Glasgow, World Health Organisation claimed on Friday. According to its study, children growing up in poor parts of Glasgow have a lower life expectancy than those born in India.
In its three-year analysis of social determinants of health, the WHO concluded that social factors, rather than genetics, are responsible for huge variation in ill-health and life expectancy around the world. Government policies that contribute to the gap between rich and poor, and wider social injustice, are "killing people on a grand scale", its authors said.
Citing an example, they said a boy living in the Glasgow suburb of Calton is expected to live to 54, 28 years less than a boy born in affluent Lenzie near by. That same child from Calton will typically have a shorter life than a child born in India, where life expectancy is 62, the WHO report said.
The report, drawn up by an eminent panel of experts forming the WHO's Commission on 'the Social Determinants of Health', found that in almost all countries, poor socio-economic circumstances equated to poor health.
