TwitterFacebookGoogle PlusLinkedInRSS FeedEmail

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Satyameva Jayate - Healthcare for All Indians

Aamir Khan's brainchild ' Satyameva Jayate'
Aamir Khan's brainchild ' Satyameva Jayate'
Since the day i grew up, my parents taught me that a doctor comes after the god himself. He is one who will save our lives and will pull us out from all ailments. He is the healer and we are the believers.  I believed it , still do but now with a word of caution!!

Today i want to write on how Government, Private Medical Colleges & Hospitals, Pathology labs, Pharma companies have diluted the noble profession and  what are the issues that every 'common man' faces. The post is to focus on "Healthcare Services" for every citizen, that should be  affordable, reachable and reposes trust of the patients receiving the benefit.

Even 65 years after independence the issues concerning the health of a common Indian remain the same. The only thing that has got added to the existing problems is greed , wrong intent and converted the service to a 'profession of nexus'. As per WHO report even today 65% percent of the Indian Population lack access to basic health services. The number of government colleges is stagnant and private colleges are mushrooming. Seats in medical colleges are being sold and every other day another healthcare scam surfaces.The cost of treatment is spiraling north and private hospitals are making money on the dead bodies even.Private firms are pushing their medicines in the Indian market at 10 times ,20 times of their costs . Doctors misguiding the patients on treatment and pathology labs doing unnecessary tests supported with inflated bills.Seems like the quality of the health service is riding on greed and life has become much cheaper than ever before.

I raise some basic questions before the medical fraternity and other bodies in the nexus !! Have we lost all moral and human values in this quest for material comforts? Have we become so selfish that a trade of human lives is fueling our households ? Will incompetency rule the world ? Have we become so accommodating and adjusting that pain and suffering of others around us don't affect us at all ?? Lastly is it that our souls are already dead and we are just mechanical human beings??

Some steps that we all should take to improve this condition and build consensus in the society to move in the right direction. 

A. People who choose to join this profession need to be aware of their responsibility and the charter of healing lives given to them by the almighty himself.
B. Doctors who have tarnished the profession need to be brought to light and a strict action to be initiated against them. The Medical Council of India has to act on this in no time. Parallely capacity building  and improving skill sets of the medical fraternity has to be taken up.
C. After liberalization so many MNC's have set foot in our country. There have been benefits that have definitely accrued but the cost of this progress needs to be measured. Strict action and a price determination mechanism has to be adopted by the government to justify the market price of the drugs.
D. A efficient health cover, insurance policy needs to be adopted and every citizen has to be brought under the same. On the government's agenda healthcare should move up high on the priority.

Lastly it is a basic right of every citizen to have access to affordable health care& benefits and diseases do not discriminate between the rich or the poor. I urge you all to spend some time discussing  these important issues and work together to build a 'Healthy  and Happy India'.

Satyameva Jayate !!


Also Read :

Satyameva Jayate - Heathcare for all Indians
Satyameva Jayate - Female Foeticide
Satyameva Jayate - Child Sexual Abuse
Satyameva Jayate - Marriage Rides on Marriage


4 comments:

Bhavana said...

Yes, healthcare for all and more importantly quality healthcare for all. Folks get primary healthcare at times but secondary and tertiary healthcare more difficult!

Shri Ram Ayyangar said...

Firstly, the doctors should have a clear consciousness and secondly commitment to serve, service with a smile.

Viveksheel said...

@Bhavana - There are 2 aspects of it, first is the reach and then there is the quality of service. At present we are struggling for the reach of it forget about improving the standards.If the entire population has access to basic health care i think that will be more than what i ask !!

Viveksheel said...

@Shri Ram Ayyangar - Sir !! As per the MCI's Code of Ethics Regulations for the character of a physician, “The primary objective of the medical profession is to render service to humanity; reward or financial gain is a subordinate consideration."

There are so many doctors who are unsung, unheard and they are true to their profession. It's just society does not allows role models to survive long enough.