You might be called an exceptionally lucky Indian if you have access to a truly trustworthy doctor. Bordering on a national cliché, it is widely felt that government healthcare services in India are inadequate in serving the needs of the nation. On the flip side, it is also true that the system is not satisfactory from the perspective of most health-care providers either. Every stakeholder—users, providers and managers—struggle to bandage the structural fault-lines in the system. But, all is not lost. A few motivated individuals and organizations across the country are working on making a change. Syeda Saiyidain Hameed, a social rights activist, educationist, and a former member of the Planning Commission of India, champions a few civil society initiatives that are working to deliver health care to India’s impoverished.
AS A MEMBER OF THE Planning Commission (2004 to 2014), my biggest challenge was to find solutions for the crucial sector with which I was entrusted, namely, health. Despite the thousands of crores spent on health over several five-year plans, the fact remains that the vast majority of our people continue to suffer; recurring illnesses take away whatever meagre little they own. If they don’t die from disease, they die from the anxiety and penury that it causes.
But there were glimmers of hope in hopelessness. Has anyone heard of Gadchiroli, Akha, Sittilingi, Phek or Ehsaas in the metro cities where policies are made and formulated as government schemes? Was health reaching these hinterlands where no government scheme could reach?
この記事は Reader's Digest India の July 2023 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、8,500 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Reader's Digest India の July 2023 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、8,500 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
ME & MY SHELF
Former director-general of the Delhi Policy Group, Radha Kumar is an academic, author and policy analyst. Her most recent book, The Republic Relearnt: Renewing Indian Democracy (1947-2024), explores the triumphs and the democratic decay of the Indian Republic.
The Journey Of The Kon-Tiki
Is it possible to cross the Pacific on a wooden raft? Natural scientist Thor Heyerdahl risks everything to prove it
Hot and (Un)bothered
Not that anyone in India needs to be reminded, but summer is here, and the collective energy dissipated by people complaining about the heat is making climate change even worse.
GOTCHA!
We asked for it: What’s the best prank you ever pulled?
NEXT STOP: WHO KNOWS?
We wanted to do a once-in-a-lifetime trek in northern Laos. Just getting there became the adventure
Do More With Your Tech
You're undoubtedly missing out on cool features that can help make life easier, safer and even more fun
Why Water Workouts Work
Swimming and other aquatic exercises have special benefits
Surf's Up... Again
A Hawaiian helps victims of a devastating fire in the most Hawaiian way possible
HUMOUR in UNIFORM
I got sloppy with my shaving one morning and nicked my skin.
Leave the WILD Things Be
Wild animals have been made to serve a variety of human needs, including recreational ones. It’s up to everyday folk to decry the use of animals for entertainment