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My dad says, “Money is not health”. However, money is what you need the most when it comes to healthcare. This article tries to take a deep drive into the realm of a good healthcare system for everyone. A “realm” because a good healthcare system for everyone does not exist.
India, after China, is the second most populated country on Earth. With a population of 135.26 crore, the country might experience what China did in their 90s. Poverty is a big problem right now. Even though it is said that every minute 18 people overcome extreme poverty, almost 68% percent of the country is still left. I doubt the number 18 here as it seems that we are also somewhere redefining poverty. Here is how.
Government hospitals are really in a bad state. Talking about Bihar, the state which is considered a poor state, the plight of Patna Medical College and Hospital or PMCH cannot be ignored. A dead body was left ‘unattended’ in the hospital among patients. Absence of doctors in huge numbers is another issue here. On 30 December 2020, more than 600 doctors/workers went on strike, disregarding the administration. Doctors often complaint of low stipends and irregular salaries and thus went on strike. Alok Kumar, a doctor at PMCH emergency said, “The medical services have been severely affected but we are providing treatment to every patient. We have not refused any kind of treatment to a patient”. Several COVID patients were left untreated due to no facilities, while sources say eighty percent beds are vacant due to a dearth of doctors. Even with less doctors, the management is unable to give doctors regular salaires. Alongside, another famous hospital, Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Science or IGIMS, have also been protesting for weeks. Summarizing:
- There is a lack of doctors in the hospital
- Beds are vacant as there are very few doctors
- Even with less doctors, the administration is unable to pay staffs their salaries
We would like to refer to a report by The Quint on Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital or DMCH of Bihar, where 100 children died due to “a pathetic healthcare system”. The report also says that the hospital is criminally understaffed. Read the full report here.
Despite this, there comes one more problem. Six AIIMS are yet not functional even after sixteen years, reported livemint.com.
The government, which had floated hopes of affordable healthcare by announcing that 20 institutions like the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) would be set up, has failed to make the first six such institutes fully functional even 16 years after their conception.
— Live Mint on 4 January 2019
On 30 December 2020, Jharkhand Health Minister Banna Gupta and Principal Health Secretary Dr Nitin Kulkarni said that half of the doctors join the profession to mint money while half for a hefty dowry.
“People become doctors so that they don’t have to work. And, some want to become a doctor so that they get a handsome dowry,” Kulkarni said during a function organised to distribute appointment letters to new medicos at the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM).
— India Today on 11 January 2021
Mr. Banna Gupta already has several criminal charges against them. Here is a brief criminal record of Banna Gupta.
- 2 charges related to Attempt to murder (IPC Section-307)
- 1 charges related to Mischief by destroying or moving, etc., a land- mark fixed by public authority Mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to cause damage to amount of one hundred or (in case of agricultural produce) ten rupees (IPC Section-435)
- 1 charges related to undue influence or personation at an election (IPC Section-171F)
- 1 charges related to Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty (IPC Section-354)
- 4 charges related to Punishment for Rioting (IPC Section-147)
- 4 charges related to Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty (IPC Section-353)
- 3 charges related to voluntarily causing hurt (IPC Section-323)
- 2 charges related to Rioting, armed with deadly weapon (IPC Section-148)
- 1 charges related to Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace (IPC Section-504)
- 1 charges related to Punishment of criminal conspiracy (IPC Section-120B)
Just for neutral news, I leave it to you to make conclusions after reading all this.
In our article “PSUs — dead or alive”, I tried to show you how Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) are on the verge of decline. As mentioned in the article, PSUs aim to produce cheap high-quality products, this cheap may soon become expensive. Poor people will not be able to consume expensive products which may send them back behind the poverty line. Along with this, petrol and diesel prices have been increasing since the Government of India imposed huge taxes on it.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, during the Lok Sabha’s Winter session on Wednesday, said the onion price issue did not affect her much as she and her family didn’t use this pungent vegetable bulb prominently on their diet. “I don’t eat a lot of onions and garlic, so don’t worry. I come from a family that doesn’t care much for onions,” she said. Her remarks came after an opposition leader made an interruption on the onion price issue while she was speaking about the same.
You must have read about the active farmers protest in Delhi against the three amendments the Government made related to agriculture. These acts give an essence of the end of MSP of Minimum Support Price, a great feature which indeed helps the farmers and tries to prevent them from hitting huge losses. However, the Government and the farmer unions have still not negotiated on the matter. Farmers are requesting the Government to roll back the amendments as soon as possible.
Amid these issues, the Government is busy building a new Parliament, the television media is busy chanting India-China-Pakistan, the opposition is not interrogating the GOI and the youth (India has more than 50% people less than the age of 25 and more than 65% below 35) is busy watching Big Boss, reality shows and movies.
