Doctors are often blamed for the deterioration in health services in the country. This may be true to some extent as the doctors remain at the cutting edge to provide healthcare to the people, but to the large extent it is the government that has to be blamed for the current mess.
No private medical college can run without the government permission. No private hospital can run without the government permission. When government grants permission to run a college or a hospital it is squarely responsible for ensuring that these institutions are run through proper rules, procedures and the mechanism. The moment government gets relaxed and lenient, the mess starts and there is no end to it.
It is strange that despite parting with huge money, people in India, barring few exceptions, do not get proper treatment.
The premier institutions like the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi and the Post Graduate Institute of Medicine and Research, Chandigarh exclusively remain reserved for the VIPs. Not that the common people do not get treatment in these institutions, but everyone knows what the difficulties a commoner goes through while getting admission in these institutions. And only those commoners visit these institutions who cannot afford it in private/corporate hospitals.
The decision makers and policy makers in the country like the politicians and bureaucrats are least affected by the unethical medical practices. As long as they do not feel the pinch, one can never expect the health and medical services in the country to improve. Any legislator or any bureaucrat in the country remains ‘adequately insured’ for all his/health problems as the government is there to pay even for the treatment done abroad, although it may be available here as well.
Realising the indifference and apathy of the powers that be, who obviously remain unaffected, the unscrupulous elements in the medical profession (and there are umpteen of them around), exploit this lack of concern leading to the complete deterioration of the healthcare system in India.
It may be a fact that even people from abroad come to India for specialised treatment which is available at a much cheaper price. The quality and standard of treatment available in India should not be judged from the existence of ‘seven-star-facility’ corporate hospitals frequented by the rich and wealthy and may be some NRIs or foreigners, but by the affordability of the common man. Whether a common man from the working class or a professional background is able to afford the treatment here or not, remains the mute question.
That is why one reaches to the conclusion that the government remains complicit in the deteriorating health and medical services in the country. No wonder in many parts of the country, a number of private hospitals and medical colleges are owned by active politicians including the MLAs, MPs and union and state ministers. It is these people whose vested and conflict of interest leads to protection and shielding of unscrupulous practices in the profession.
We rush to blame the doctors for every ill facing the medical and healthcare sector. We need to look beyond the doctors. If some unscrupulous doctors resort to unethical practices, why should they be let off. Why does the law not take it own course? The answer is not very difficult to find. Either there is somebody’s vested interest involved or it is the callous indifference by the powers that be. Even the regulating mechanism under such circumstances, no matter how noble it may be, is unable to prevail and regulate. At times, rather most of the times, even the Medical Council of India (MCI) as also the state medical councils feel helpless to act even when they notice gross violations going on everywhere. Do we think that the govt doesn’t know the difference between factory prices of drugs and consumables and its MRP what has been done to control that.
As long as the policy and decision makers do not get serious and sincere and they are not held accountable, the health services will never improve in the country. No matter what legislations are brought in, nothing is going to help. Because there is no dearth of already existing laws in the country. It again comes to implementing those laws. And as long as those who are to implement these laws have a vested interest, nothing is going to work. Yes you may end up making some scapegoats in the process to prove and claim that you really did something, while in reality you did nothing as your intentions were not sincere and genuine.
- Advertisement -
Comments are closed.