Public Health is more precious – Do not reduce investments in health and health systems

Several significant public health crisis had happened in India and around the world. On examination and investigation, it is apparent that these were all man made disasters. In view of continued neglect, lack of focus on prevention and insufficient investments in health or improper assessments of diseases or study their root causes, the social determinants of health. 

The Ebola crises in West Africa is a fit case for study where over 7000 people had died in view of neglect of health systems, infrastructure funding, trained human resources and little commitment of education. Even though vaccines were developed in USA to fight the disease, it seemed too little and too late.

India marches towards global leadership in many diseases like malaria, dengue, diabetes, heart related ailments etc. confront us. Thousands of people are deprived of adequate H.I.V drugs and the situation is alarming. The T.B crises also followed up with over 1 Lakh cases. T.B is the country’s time bomb. 

In 2015, in the sterilization tragedy in Chattisgarh, over 10 in the 83 women who underwent sterilization surgeries died while many others were hospitalized critically. The revelation is the nasty nexus between the government officials and petty pharma manufacturers, the antibiotics were suspected to be containing rat poison.

The culprits were easily let off without adequate punishments for their culpable homicide. That is the fate of the callous government. Broadly speaking, the quality of health services in rural and urban India in private or public sectors are abysmal, millions of people suffer to access health services. 60% of the people in the country suffer much to access in the private sector (many from quacks) atexorbitant costs and are being targeted for over exploitation with inappropriate tests and most of the pharmacies sell medicines like antibiotics over the counter and hardly there is  government control over it.

The fundamental is to control diseases, sufficient nutrition, safe habitation, safety and reduced conflicts etc. All of these are inter linked with social and economic policies of the government. Overall it is apparent and imperative how to integrate all the links for making effective health care systems to provide maximum protection to the people.