Government
should give priority to Healthcare
A survey was
made to find out how effectively India has used its newly created wealth to
alter a dismal record of nutritional deprivation, ill-health and lost potential
among its citizens, particularly women and children. It was found that negligence
shown by our government towards child nutrition has left 34 per cent of
children in under-five age group underweight today.
The deprived
sections of India’s children have low weight even at birth due to the general
neglect of women’s nutrition and well-being. Access to nutrition and health is a
right for all. Asserting this right would require the strengthening of the
Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme in all States, particularly
those with a higher proportion of underweight and stunted children. In spite of there existing ICDS, there is a clear deficit in caring for
the needs of children under three. Nutrition in the first two or three years of
a child’s life has a lasting impact on his or her development; care given in
later years, including freshly cooked meals at school, cannot undo the setback
caused by neglect during this foundational phase.
Other areas
that need to be looked into are access to
antenatal care, reduction of high levels of anaemia among women, and
immunisation; sustained economic growth is not possible without the well-being
of the population, especially women and children.
Media should be
more aggressive as well as more inspiring and enlightening to the public and
the leaders by giving comprehensive details of world's best healthcare systems
in other countries like Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, France etc. Singapore
has perhaps world's most economic public healthcare at a spending of only below
5 percent of its GDP. Sweden, Switzerland and France have perhaps very flexible
and citizen friendly healthcare systems. India can devise world's smartest
healthcare system as it has the most diverse medical systems in the world
starting from its own Ayurveda, Yoga and Sidha, as well as Naturopathy, Yunani,
Homeopthay, Allopathy etc. It can eventually help to increase a very rewarding
health-tourism too!
The saying "Health
is Wealth" is true. As long as a person doesn't enjoy full health, he
cannot think freely. So if India really wants to step up in the global market
in any case then it must reduce the percentage of undernourished children. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the helm, we may see a change.
It is a matter
of concern that we are framing policy after policy for overcoming the poverty,
malnutrition, hunger, Maternal and Child mortality since Independence etc and
still we are badly struggling. Hunger and malnutrition are directly related to
poverty. We have numerous scheme one after the other by various government;
however, we are not achieving the desired results. We need to examine in
details where we are lagging behind and what more serious steps are required in
this direction as health is one of the fundamental of our growth.
The nutritional
state of women and children, especially in the rural areas, is pathetic and the
plight is more aggravated in rainy and winter seasons. Various water-borne
diseases affect the rural children in rainy season and cold winters. The
neo-natal and natal health care for women is discouraging especially in
unorganised sectors. A comprehensive program is necessary.
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