Health is Wealth, so goes the saying, and adding, ‘If health is lost everything is lost’ would only be over-emphasizing the importance of health today. People are increasingly impatient with the inability of health services to deliver levels of national coverage that meet stated demands and changing needs.

Soon after watching a movie, one of my friends recently called upon me and exclaimed, ‘Are medical services free in the UK?!’ Affirmative was the answer from me. The next comment from him, ‘Then why do you want to come back to India, what else do you need if you receive reliable health services free.’ Not that this had not dawned to me previously but it only elevated it’s significance. Engrossing was the issue, and it compelled me to contemplate on how making health services free and accessible to all, by the government, establishes an all around development and prosperity of the society.

India has made rapid improvements in the health scenario of it’s people, what with it’s geographical challenges and at times adverse climatic conditions; nonetheless greater part of Indian population is still deprived of primary health care. A World Health Report gives communicable diseases, 42% as the cause of mortality and the rest to other diseases or injuries. It goes on to add that life expectancy at birth, in India, is 64 years as compared to 80 years in Australia.

Making health services free and centralized: Where-by the government provides free consultation to the citizens with the General practitioner (Dr.), free maternity services, Children care, subsidized drugs etc. With this the government would be duty-bound in the critical areas leading to health issues, vis-à-vis:

Food:

Availability food and it’s quality, in public places, groceries, food joints etc. Following a whip from the government, food inspectors would be forced to layout stringent quality standards and compliance, and safeguarding against food associated health predicaments.

Environment:

Local bodies ensuring cleaner surroundings with better waste management, helping to reduce viral and other infections.

Drugs & Medicines:

Improvement of drugs supply and quality, there by increasing it’s control on the Pharmaceutical establishments for sub-standard medicines.

Immunisations:

Increase in adherence to maintaining a record of births and hence leading to greater spectrum of coverage of the infant immunizations for eradication of diseases.

Failure to keep these in control could lead to deterioration in health and increase in government spending towards this. An election agenda, may be, for our political representatives?

Image Credit: Abraj

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