When health for all in the country is no longer a dream

India made a tryst with destiny in 1947 to usher in a prosperous and peaceful nation. We made a solemn pledge to empower India politically, economically, socially and culturally so that they could banish the traditional ills.

Politically, we have empowered Indians with voting and fundamental rights by ensuring ‘one person one vote’. Today, India has emerged as the largest and most populous democracy in the world with a democratic parliamentary system. The three pillars of democracy, namely legislature, executive and judiciary have been adequately empowered to ensure national security, national integration, social harmony, secular fabric and integrated development to promote people’s welfare.

But to be empowered India still has a long way to go. India can be empowered only when its average woman is empowered. Till 75 years ago, she was not allowed to vote, till 50 years ago she was not allowed to go to school, till 25 years ago she was not allowed to work. Now it is all changing. Today women have started competing with men but still have a long way to go. India will be empowered only when all women are educated and employed.

On the economic front, India has now matured into one of the fastest growing economies in the world. But for me, the country can safely be divided into two Indias—the rich and poor India. While the rich comprise just 10 per cent, the poor are 90 per cent and the gap is widening.

We seemed to have created islands of wealth in an ocean of poverty, generated employment in the midst of a globalised development framework. Dualism—prosperity in one sector and pauperism in other sectors—has become the order of empowerment. In the midst of a burgeoning population, India has created a scenario of writing on the sands which are being constantly washed away by sea waters.

India’s progress in science and technology has been phenomenal as India is the third largest reservoir of scientific and technical manpower. The IT explosion, the surge in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, agricultural revolution has put India on the global map.

While the health status of the nation has improved, we are yet to reach our cherished goal of health for all. While on one hand, India has become a medical destination and there is reverse brain drain in the health sector, human development indices are still below acceptable marks—especially infant and maternal mortality. Indian has been ranked 127th out of 180 countries in human development indices for three consecutive years by UNDP. The country has also not shown expected results as far as population stabilisation is concerned.

The country can again be divided into two Indias if we consider the development indicators in North and South. If South India was an independent country, it would have been a developed country way back. It is not that I am trying to differentiate or discriminate between the two parts, but the poor development indicators in North are a crude reality, inspite of the fact that maximum policy makers were from North. Indicators in North East are even worse.

Gandhi has said that India lives in its villages. Over 73 per cent of India’s population still lives in the rural areas and they have access to only 25 per cent of the healthcare facilities. The 25 per cent who live in towns and cities have 75 per cent healthcare access.

To rectify the deficiency, the government has launched the National Rural Health Mission for the entire country focussing on 18 states in the North and North East. The aim is to bring down infant mortality, maternal mortality and stabilise population, provide nutrition, sanitation and drinking water, and ensure quality healthcare for even the last person living in the last village. This Rural Health Mission is the biggest programme in the health sector post-independence and results will be visible in the next three years.

Another factor which is worrying is that the process of empowerment has not yet become meaningful to people who are craving for empowerment. A major chunk of Indians from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, other backward classes and minorities still remain marginalised. This neglect is unfortunate.

The growing economy can bear fruits only if it is able to pull up the development indices. The UPA government is trying to improve these indicators with with focus on social policies. The government’s priority areas are health, education and agriculture. All these years, people in Delhi have been thinking that India lives 60 km around Delhi. Now because of coalition politics and regional participation, policies and performances are being distributed equally.

I feel India can be empowered only when it provides education, employment, housing, food, healthcare, clean drinking water, sanitation for all its citizens. Providing these basic facilities to 1/6th of the world’s population living on 2.4 per cent of the world’s land is a highly challenging task. As a government, we are trying our best to fulfill these basic demands.

I feel the basis of all problems in the country, whether it is education, health sector, infrastructure, agriculture etc is the population explosion.

I was in South Korea two weeks back and found that the country can compete with Europe and America as far as its development is concerned. Till 40 years ago, people in the country were standing in a queue for one square meal and today the situation has been totally reversed. The change has been brought about because of the concept of ownership among the people about the country and not the individual. There, people would talk about ‘our country’, were as we in India are still talking about ‘I’ not ‘us’.

I feel India has a long way to go to be empowered but it is going on the right path. India can be empowered when there is participation by the community, when there is ownership that it is ‘my country’ rather than ‘I’, when people would not depend on the government for everything, when people abide by all laws and there is no problem about enforcing them, when policy makers and public work towards a modern and self-reliant India.