Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Health cover for all needed' that was published in Newsband

Health cover for all needed

Universal health cover for all is a must. But Indian government seems to be concerned about the health of only few people. Indian Government has decided that All India Services and their families will be eligible for medical treatment abroad at the taxpayer’s expense.

Commenting on this, the Health Survey and Development Committee recommended that “public funds should, as far as they are available, be devoted to the development of the health service.” It was also decided that only those cases where facilities are not available in India are to be considered.

But the government’s intention is to just facilitate such treatment for the higher echelons of the bureaucracy. Such measures can only deal a severe blow to the national health care system when it is in dire need of quantitative expansion, qualitative upgradation and strong regulation.

India needs to double the number of doctors and nurses. There is a great need for the advanced technology in our hospitals. Government is not caring to implement good quality measures in our hospitals, but it is thinking of providing good health facilities for bureaucrats. Who will think of normal citizen? In a democratic set up, the government should treat every citizen equally.

It’s not just an incentive but a fine way for extra corruption. India stands Top in list of corrupt bureaucrats, and IAS officers of India are the lowest ranked bureaucrats in Asia. Our money is wasted on such people. No wonder why Indians don't want to pay taxes.

The influential civil services' members ought to oppose this move as in no way, they should selfishly accept privileges, lack of which causes loads of problems for the remaining members of the society and that too, on taxpayers' money. Only if they can understand what ordeals the common man has to undergo for costly treatments, they will be able to sense the unworthiness of this move. Instead, they should work to make this universal health coverage (UHC) truly "universal".

We have seen politicians going abroad for medical treatment. Now senior bureacrats and their families are being allowed to travel abroad for the same purpose at taxpayer expense. One does not know if the politicians are getting their medical and travel expenses paid at taxpayer expense but one would not be surprised if they did.

Let the Government advise insurance companies to provide health cover to all, even when their age is beyond 60 when they most need such

Cover.  

Complex or high risk cardiovascular surgery, bone marrow transplants, treatment for leukemia, neoplastic conditions, microvascular and neurosurgery (and others left unspecified) -  such medical help should be within reach of a common man.

The reality is that a very large part of the world´s population, including India, has inadequate or no access to essential and life-saving medicines. The consequences of this inadequacy include an enormous loss of life from preventable or treatable diseases (such as tuberculosis, pneumonia, acute respiratory infections, malaria, diabetes, and hypertension) and significant human suffering, particularly among the poor and marginalized populations of the world.

When a common man needs medical treatment, he has to go to private hospitals (which exploit the patients with unnecessary treatments and high cost) as the conditions of public hospitals are exposed to every body. And on the other hand, bureaucrats and politicians will enjoy foreign medical tourism with their hard earned money. With politicians and bureaucrats becoming bed-fellows, it is the common man who is the sufferer.