Daily Editorial Update with Vocabulary – Health for All remains a myth

It is neither shocking nor
surprising that India languishes at the bottom, i.e., 143, in healthcare
ranking, considering the pervasive
neglect that plagues the entire gamut
of health indices. Such a pathetic and abysmal
situation is only to be expected in tune with the track record of the country
being consigned and confined to the depths in ranking in all spheres of
development.

Attempts by ruling political
establishments and bureaucrats to paint a rosy
picture with claims that India’s populace is in the pink of health cannot
camouflage the sore thumb that stands out conspicuously to present a narrative of prevalent pathos. It is a matter of shame that a
majority of people in the country and those specifically in the rural areas do
not have access to basic healthcare facilities.

Most primitive living conditions
generally associated with under-developed countries, impoverished patients and their families being subjected to
excruciating ordeals of trekking miles, carrying the sick and the debilitated on their shoulders, to
reach hospitals provide vivid evidence of government insouciance.  

Diseases and epidemics continue
to stalk villages with access to preventive and emergency medical aid remaining
in realms of myth. India has the dubious distinction of being among countries
with the highest child malnutrition and infant mortality rates. India is also
ranked second in the number of Tuberculosis incidence. All such dubious ‘highs’
can be attributed to the lows in terms of infrastructure and services as
reflected in doctor to population ratio, primary health centre to population
ratio, and infrastructure to population ratio.

According to a study, India has
one government doctor for every 11,528 people and one nurse for every 483
people and one primary health centre covering 30 villages. That healthcare has
never been a priority on the agenda of the government becomes obvious in the
budgetary allocations made for this crucial sector.

As if following or adhering to a
tradition, the allocation was a mere 2.27% of the total budget, i.e. around
49,000 crore, which even by most conservative estimates is grossly insufficient
to meet even the basic healthcare infrastructure and services’
requirements.  It is high time the
government wakes up from slumber and
demonstrates a sense of commitment, and implements remedial measures to cure
the sick healthcare segment, before it assumes chronic proportions and reach a
point of no return.

Ruling political establishments
should stop being too obsessive about focusing only on those areas which ensure
them returns in the form of votes.  We
have been hearing so much of noise from successive governments for decades
together about creating the system to ensure “health for all.” But, as with all
such sloganeering, this has also proved to be high on rhetoric and low on
implementation.

“Health for all” continues to
remain a myth with not even 10% to 15% of India’s populace having access to
proper healthcare.  Government should
stop nursing the notion that heavy doses of hype, hyperboles and platitudes
are the panacea for deficiencies afflicting the healthcare sector in
India.