Opinion View From The Right: Bitter medicine
The editorial in Organiser asserts that while Ayushman Bharat Programme — launched in the Union Budget 2018 — has taken the country forward towards universal health coverage, the report presented by National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) raises many questions about the state of the healthcare system. The editorial says that recently, in Delhi itself, many […]
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The memorandum analyses the bills from four reputed private hospitals in Delhi and NCR and reveals that this new industry in the name of healthcare is making profits of up to 1,737 per cent on medicines, medical devises, consumables and diagnostics. (Source: Thinkstock Images)
The editorial in Organiser asserts that while Ayushman Bharat Programme — launched in the Union Budget 2018 — has taken the country forward towards universal health coverage, the report presented by National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) raises many questions about the state of the healthcare system. The editorial says that recently, in Delhi itself, many complaints of negligence and overbilling were registered against prominent private hospitals and the NPPA too released a memorandum titled “Price analysis based on the complaints received in NPPA regarding overcharging in bills by four hospitals”. “The memorandum analyses the bills from four reputed private hospitals in Delhi and NCR and reveals that this new industry in the name of healthcare is making profits of up to 1,737 per cent on medicines, medical devises, consumables and diagnostics. These four services constitute nearly 56.7 per cent of the total amount paid by the patients. Generally, the perception is that surgical operations and room rents make the private hospitals highly expensive. But, according to the memorandum, the surgery and room charges are 0.39 per cent and 11 per cent respectively, of the total bills. It is the non-scheduled formulations such as disposable syringes, catheters etc (that) are being charged mindlessly, that push relatives of the patients in a distressing situation,” claims the editorial. It adds that since Independence, despite persistent efforts, actual public spending on health has been dismal and due to the non-availability of quality services and infrastructure in government hospitals, around 80 per cent of the people rely on private hospitals for healthcare needs. “This vicious circle of profiteering starts with the medical education itself. As there are limited seats, with increasing share of private medical colleges, huge money and long time are spent on acquiring medical degrees. This is seen more as an investment that has to be recovered after starting a mall-like hospital that further demands huge financial inflow. Pharmaceutical companies are hand-in-glove in this process and manage their accounts accordingly,” the editorial says.
Banks jolted
An article in Organiser analyses the PNB fraud case and says that there is no doubt that all cases of NPAs and frauds are linked to the UPA’s tenure in office but the NDA government is also to be questioned for being inactive even after almost four years. “Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi, Vikram Kothari or any such high-profile white-collar crime dates back to the UPA days but here the Modi government must take charge and justify his role as chawkidar of this country,” says the article, which also claims that the PNB fraud case starkly displays how all the checks and balances in the system were unscrupulously compromised. “Indian banking sector has been jolted after the PNB fraud surfaced and top bank officials of every bank are busy reconciling the claims. The modus-operandi of the PNB scam is more than clear now. The financial sector is more prone to frauds because of its inherent nature and therefore systems and processes are expected to be more robust. It is clear from the investigation that SWIFT (which is used for exchanging information about financial transactions worldwide) was not linked with core banking system (CBS) of the bank and therefore inappropriate and unauthorised use by the bank officials went unnoticed,”states the article. It adds: “That the PNB received the vigilance award for the period during which this scam took place has made the entire vigilance mechanism laughing stock after this fraud.”
Laughing matters
Panchjanya has a special edition this week for Holi in which it has also carried an article on the recent exchange between the Congress and the BJP over Congress MP Renuka Chowdhury’s laughter during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reply to the President’s address in Rajya Sabha, and the PM’s remark directed at Chowdhury. In the article, it has been claimed that there has been a healthy tradition of “hasya-vyang” (laughter-sarcasm) inside Parliament and renowned Parliamentarians like Mahavir Tyagi, Acharya Kriplani, Piloo Mody, and Ram Manohar Lohia, with their wit and humour had often made other members laugh inside the House. “Mahabharat started after Chowdhury raised an objection, has proven that laugher was decreasing in the House because ‘laughter and sarcasm’ are no longer taken in a lighter note in Parliament,” notes the article and adds that PM Modi was also concerned that laughter was missing from the Parliament and state assemblies. The article has elaborated several instances in which Parliamentarians made the other members laugh inside the House with their remarks and comments. It also mentions a jibe that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had directed towards the Aam Aadmni Party (AAP)’s Bhagwant Mann, last year.
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