Right National
Health Policy is the need of the hour
The Supreme
Court has passed the order to end the oppressive practice
of sterilising women in large camps. The country must urgently adopt a
rights-based health policy.
Last year, the
Population Division of the UN took note of the extraordinary levels of
sterilisations resorted to in India. Women’s empowerment through education and
employment can make them choose the right thing for themselves.
The Centre
should give rule-based authority to the Supreme Court’s directions. A
significant number of women have died due to the procedure during the past
three years.
The right to health is inseparable from
the right to life. Empowerment of women through full opportunity in education
and employment, and access to all contraception options, should be central to
national policies.
The old-fashioned
family of a backward woman tend to send her to any unauthorized camp for operation.
But, now, it is good step taken by government to make restriction on such
camps. Camp approach has its own limitation. There is a lot of problem due to
lack of sensitivity among service providers.
Court’s ruling
on healthcare is a positive intervention because the centre and states are
involved in trading charges on each other rather than taking responsibility of
crucial areas where public well-being is directly affected. The sterilisation
program has not been monitored by state agencies and it is the responsibility
of Centre to look after people's welfare when state machinery becomes
dysfunctional. Centre should remember that it is answerable to whole nation and
should direct the state to follow strict guidelines on healthcare.
The apex court
order preventing mass sterilisation is a timely one since the quality in such
sterilisation is low to core and claims lives. As it is mentioned in the
verdict blocking the reproduction capacity must be done at the option of the
woman or man and not by coercion or by luring with money on such vulnerable
people. Also there is a need to increase the compensation for death while sterilising.
The State Central policies on health must be conducive and congenial for
carrying out the sterilisation with all medical quality and with the consent of
the woman. Of course, mass sterilisation indifferently done shows the
Government's fiasco in taking such vital population control measures in light
spirit and a money making process. Illiteracy and poverty are the major causes
for accepting sterilisation at any condition. The State Central agreed national
health policies beyond political colour is the need of the hour.
Those who think
that a national health policy can be created by Supreme Court diktats are
seriously mistaken. Without the balancing of budgetary allocations that only
the parliament can do, but all we end up doing is robbing "Peter to pay
Paul". Furthermore, we undermine democracy and governance.
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