We need to sensitise the public opinion and public policies with greater doses of ground level realities!
The growing inequities, injustices and falling sensitivities make life for the common man more and more miserable!
In many social sector policies, like education, health, why even other sectors that address issues for weaker sections and disadvantaged sectors like farmers, why even like prison reforms we as a country have not yet become serious enough to make policies that get attention of the general public public.
Even the public and also the public opinion are not stirred by sensitive people, even highly educated and well-placed sections like government servants and teachers and other professionals like lawyers and doctors, we as Indians take many inequities for granted!
This we say from our own personal experiences and encounters with others in discussions.
Who cares for the prison population? We read today there are over many lakhs of under trials suffering inside jails, some 1,400 odd jails.
What are the Legal Aid activities? Do they make headline news?
No, never! Also the state of our children? Children caught in many situations like the Act, POCSO?
So too women inside jails, women as mothers inside the jails?
What about those who can’t pay for their bail and are inside the jails?
Or, the higher authorities who can do much and yet they remain silent in their high offices?
We don’t want to be seen as rocking the boat. That is why, in spite of our leaders, we mean politicians talking too much we don’t cut ice with any other the national and much more with the international bodies doing some great work and that is get noticed.
When it comes to some of the larger issues like pollution, environment protection and why even bigger issues like war and peace, though India is one of the pioneers in international peace keeping operations, India doesn’t make news.
India can very well have all the credentials to bid for a Nobel Prize in international peace keeping operations and other efforts but we seem to be a nation too much concerned with our own narrow self interests.
We don’t seem to be a nation known for its great compassion or outwardness!
Now, what we started off was with the social sectors.
K.Sujatha Rao, the former Union Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare often writers about her domian. In a recent article she had highlighted the high costs of medical care in private hospitals and this caught our attention. The abysmal system of healthcare in the country must wake up concerned citizens and even policy makers alike. Even a well-placed state like Tamil Nadu has an over 30% shortage of medical and non-medical professionals in government facilities.
The highly motivated secretary has made many useful suggestions.
We need to upgrade the 150,000 sub centres into wellness clinics that provide 12 sets of services. We can then easily provide health security to 40% of India’s population requiring hospitalisation through a health insurance policy upto a sum of Rs.5 lakh per year.
Fine fine.
What is holding us up from implementing the policy?
The explanation for the current crises in the public and private healthcare system could be a tortuous path!
There are crises from the very start. From the way the medical education is imparted with so many corrupt practices, MCI onwards and also, the way the private medical practices, here we have to add the private sector-turned entrepreneurs class, from small towns to big metros to organising the public healthcare providers in the rural areas to upwards in the towns and cities.
The private medicare is now a booming business.
The high cost of private medical services. The Union health secretary herself says that a three-day stay in a hospital in Hyderabad for a respiratory problem cost her Rs.1.8 lakh! A CT scan that costs Rs.19.080 in a Hyderabad hospital. While it costs Rs. 500 in government hospitals in Tamil Nadu. Of course the very same costs Rs.7,000in Tamil Nadu and Delhi, say the former Union Secretary. Perhaps, the Secretary is a bit out of date or out of touch! The very same CT scan test in Bangalore, at a top end hospital charges Rs.27,000 with all “concessions”!. Of course in the private hospitals in TN and Delhi must have learnt the latest practices from TN and Bangalore!
Says the former Union Health Secretary: It is estimated that Rs.30,000 crore will have to be spent if the three tier primary healthcare system is to be brought to minimal health standards.
Anyway, it is becoming clear that private medicare is sought by almost all sections. To meet the demands of the public who seek often the private care we have to ensure at least some control over the exorbitant costs that are now sought for latest tests and drugs as well. This is already a well-trodden subject and all that requires is an update of the same issues to make it more a reality-check!