by Sandeep Pandey
India doesn’t need an enemy to kill its population.
The Narendra Modi government has slashed the health budget of Rs. 31,640 crores by Rs. 6000 crores, a cut of about 20%, during the current financial year, exposing the already vulnerable common people to more health care risks. India has one of the worst health indices around the world. Among the six South Asian countries, India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, India ranks 4th in maternal mortality ratio and total fertility rate, 5th in life expectancy, infant mortality rate, under five years mortality rate and access to improved sanitation and is at the bottom of the pack in child immunization (DPT and measles) and proportion of underweight children.
In India 55% of households practice open defecation whereas in Bangladesh merely 8.4% have to do this. In India only 44% children aged 12-23 months are fully immunized whereas the figure for Bangladesh is 82% children. In Bangladesh 89% children start breastfeeding within 24 hours of birth whereas in India only 55% children are able to do so. In Bangladesh 88% children aged 9-59 months receive vitamin A supplements whereas in India only 18% children aged 6-59 months get this. In Bangladesh 97% population has sustainable access to an improved water source whereas in India the figure is 88%. In Bangladesh 81% diarrhoea-affected children are treated with oral rehydration therapy whereas in India only 39% receive this benefit. Diarrhoea kills more than ten lakhs children every year in India.
The former PM Manmohan Singh, releasing a report in January 2012, revealed that of the 16 crores Indian children below 6 years of age 42% of under 5 years child population is malnourished and described it as national shame and an unacceptably high occurrence. He should have been asked the question who was he complaining to?
India spends merely 1% of its gross domestic product on public health and its defence budget exceeds its health care and education budget combined whereas most developed countries of the world on an average spend almost three times on education and health care, separately, than their defence budgets. In fact the money spent by India on external security is unable to prevent high number of deaths due to hunger, disease, poverty, inclement weather and debt related suicides and hence is of no use to more than half the population. India needs no enemy to kill its population.
It is quite clear that Narendra Modi’s priority is not common people. A PM who goes to inaugurate the hospital of a private corporate house can be least bothered about the public health care system. Whereas public health care spending is being reduced the private health care industry is growing at 15% rate. The state of Indian government run hospitals and primary health care centres is miserable. Government doctors are either not present or more interested in private practice.
India provides generic medicines to other third world countries too. If the government thinks that privatized health care system is the answer then it is putting to risk not just deprived Indian population but also that of other developing and under-developed countries. Modi’s promise of achche din is meant only for Ambanis and Adanis who have spent money on his election campaign.
