A new government survey has revealed some growing gaps in the country’s healthcare infrastructure. About a third of the children aged up to age 14 reported respiratory illnesses in 2025, something most centres are ill equipped to handle. The average expense in private Tamil Nadu hospitals was an eye-popping 60 times higher than at public ones, compared to less than six times in neighbouring Karnataka and Kerala. More than 70 percent of the rural population in populous states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Maharashtra opted for expensive private hospitals, underlining the inadequacy of the public ones. The report, the eighth such count since 1973-74, would serve a higher purpose if the Union and state governments use the numbers to channel their limited resources to the areas that need them the most.