Medical growth: A boom or a curse??
Dr.Noopur Verma
India being the third largest economy in Asia spends only 4.2% of its annual GDP on health care, among which only 1.2% on public health spending. Being the world’s fastest growing population is that enough? Well, I guess we don’t even need an answer to that question.
Our medical industry is like a malnourished child which is starving and somehow sustaining its growth against all odds. Lack of medical colleges and expensive study makes it a profession of exclusion when it comes to choosing carrier. The question which comes to mind is, In this era where medical science has reached its blooming stage and advances are made every night is the common man of India still suffering? I guess if we ask this question to a farmer or to a lower income group the answer will be, yes!
At the cost of increasing technique the medical bills increases at a proportional rate. It’s cheaper to die than to afford few more days in an ICU. Between shortages of beds in government hospitals to expensive private hospitals daily poor people are dying even at this advancement.
At this stage a poor man dying even of pneumonia and a rich surviving cancer, is it all worth it? I guess we can only accept the fact that life and good health can be bought only at high expenses or we can start a small change which might grow to a big change after few years. But how and by whom will that change happen? Well we can all start together at smaller level by measures to healthy life that we already know, we call them life style modifications which prevent many diseases as is; keeping our surroundings clean, exercising, right diet, drinking clean water, wearing seat belts while driving, saying no to alcohol and phones while driving, favoring organic farming and hundreds of solutions like that. Giving a helping hand towards the needy are making our surroundings disease free can be a step towards saving few lives which we lose due to non availability of medical help.
In our country I guess waiting for our government to make decisions in our favor is one way to expect change to happen. But a small change taken together can be a big change in all together.
Atlas, Impending on the health care unit which gets a disappointing sum when it comes to financial help from our government, I guess we can hope that all allies in India will one day understand downgrading condition of our financial health and come join hands in making of a better and stronger medical system which will flourish with smile of every Indian.
Dr.Noopur Verma can be reached at verma.noopur3@gmail.com