A Pat and a Push for the Public Health System by the People in India!
We are in the
midst of a huge pandemic that has taken away the normalcy from us in terms of
our regular routine and life activities being completely stalled. We are
confined to the precincts of our homes and having adjusted ourselves to a new
life circumstance which is starkly opposite to what we have been doing all
these days. There is a constrained silence within us and around us which
practically is the new life status that we share with those who are lucky
enough to be safely away from the web of the dreaded virus.
In the midst of
the silence a few of us are startled with the siren sound of the ambulance that
is passing by our neighbourhood, or woken up by the domestic breed checkers (DBC's) who come
house to house to equire about our health status. Periodically, we can hear
the public address system far away blaring with details of the procedures to be
adopted as safety health practice in this pandemic environment.
Did we ever
ponder for a while from where all these are originating out? and who is responsible
for all these activities in times of turmoil and trauma for the people? No
guesses, all these are part of a gallant effort by a coordinated team that
belongs to the “Public Health Care System” in our country which is in the
frontline as we fight the dreaded pandemic. It sounds good, but what do we know
about it? and how are we connected with it? are questions that must occupy the
minds of people at the present moment.
Perception and
Reality:
As
always perception keeps varying from person to person, but in many cases a
concept of mob psychology applies and translates into a group perception of a
majority. It is in this background we are faced with a realistic perception of
the concept of public health among our people.
If
one can traverse through the mindset of people in terms of health care,
everyone would be by far comfortable to go into a private health care system,
than that of the government setup. This is in a way because of the fact that
the general perception of the government health care set up is for the other
person and not me. In a similar manner, Public Health is always construed to be
a government system that is for the public and not me. This can easily be taken
as the general perception of the common citizen in our country irrespective of
where they belong and what work they do.
One
of the possible reasons for this perception could be that Public Health mostly
works from behind the scene, in terms of being a silent workhorse that caters
to the preventive and promotive aspects of health care in the country. It is
easily identified as the government’s business and it is something related to
community or village work, which sadly is not the case.
While we know that Public health is the initiative and efforts taken by
the Government with regard to disease prevention and control in the country. It
plays
a very vital and pivotal role in the general health status of the citizens,
since it works on a wide spectrum of services that are undertaken in a large
scale covering a huge number of people.
The Central
Government through the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare provides the scope
for Public Health to function within the country’s health care mechanism. It is
with the support of the Government through provision of resources and financial
outlay various activities are carried out across the country through the
structure of public health.
Despite this, the
public health care system of our country has always been at the receiving end
when compared to that of the private sector health care institutions. It is
always been a matter of debate and discussions in our country at every level.
But, as always in times of national calamity or a nationwide health issue that
is casting its dangerous impact on the common people, it has been the public
health system and structure that comes to the rescue on a larger canvas
covering the length and breadth of the vast geographical areas of our Nation.
Vital Vanguard:
The
structure and framework of the public health in India has been a vital vanguard
for the people to protect themselves against the very many dreaded diseases
that have surfaced from time to time. We need to acknowledge that through the
efforts of the public health system we have been able to successfully combat
major health problems like malaria, tuberculosis, small pox, polio, etc in the
past, since independence of our country. We have also fought the spread of HIV
AIDS, avian flu, HINI influenza in the recent past which affected multitudes of
people. Now, as we all know that it is the public health care system that is in
the forefront to fight the pandemic Corona Virus which is dangerously impacting
the lives and livelihood of the people in our country.
Apart from taking on emergent
health care issues on a far footing, the public health system must be credited
for increasing the human life expectancy among the population in India with
considerable improvements in the health care facilities for the masses. The
social problem of relatively high maternal and child mortality is also been
effectively tacked by the vast network of the public health system in our
country.
The process of surveillance within
the framework of the public health system is playing an important role in
assessing the level incidence of new diseases among the people and for also analyzing the impact that it creates among the social fabric of the nation. This is a very
critical step for framing up intervention strategies that needs to be drawn
up from time to time and address the emergent realities in the wake of endemic
and pandemic diseases. Based on the pointers that the public health
surveillance throws up when in need, the government is able to bring in
regulations that are necessary to be adopted towards the mitigation or
eradication of various major health issues.
This is a very proactive role that often goes unnoticed from the eyes
of the common people, but from the point of view of the health care
administrators and civic administration this is a strong foundation on which
they operate.
Significance to
Social Development:
The health status of the citizens to a great status reflects on the
economic and social progress of the nation. It will be hard to imagine that one
could contribute to the GDP through their respective work area, if they are to
be stricken by threatening health issue, since their productive capabilities
will be drastically hampered, impaired and impacted. Mass health care hazards
if unchecked will result in chocked economy for certain. It goes without the saying
that significance of public health must also be viewed from the point of the economic
progress of the country.
This apart, the public health system to
a great extent works towards reducing the health inequality between the have’s
and have not’s. The economics of health
care comes to the light when it is addressed to mass population in a country
like ours in India. Various researches points out the fact that common people
are gravely impacted by spending their resources and wealth for their health
care needs. With health care for curative services being offered in the private
sector for a considerable cost, it is not that all the citizens can afford it.
Only those who can afford to pay can get care and treatment from that of the
private and corporate sector. This leaves a huge gap in the society between the
have’s and have not’s which throws up a big social problem. It is here that the
role of the public health system and structure comes to the rescue for all to
have accessible health care at their own environment.
The psyche of the people undergoes a
great stress and strain when any major health issue that affects them in terms
of a mass impacted syndrome. Many would be requiring immediate medical
facilities that are institutionalized through the hospitals and many more would
require life modifications at their community level. Public health is
significantly known to play a very proactive assistance in developing coping
strategies on a prevention approach through IEC campaigns. The Information,
Education and Communication through vernacular languages reach out to millions
of people so as to bring about a behavioural change among the people to
overcome their problems.
Promoting Public
Health:
Public Health at the perception level of the common people in country
would have been something that was concerned with somebody’s health and not
something that of their own. Thanks to the Corona Virus, now people are
starting to wake up to notice the importance and vital role of the public
health care system in that of the status of the health of the people of our
nation. It has taken a pandemic to possibly turn the perception of the public
health upside down. Hope it stays that way and keeps on growing in strength
among the mindset of the common people in our country.
Any program or initiative which is focussed for the masses, will achieve
the targeted outcomes, only if they are consumed by a majority of the people
for whom it was intended and implemented. In this manner, the people of our
country will have to give due respect to the concept and practice of public
health by proactively participating with greater sense of positivism.
Promotion of public health does not start and end with the government alone,
there needs to be greater level of participation of the public who are common
citizens in the initiatives, programs and campaigns of public health in our
country. The participation of the people in the public health initiatives and
promotion of the same within their families will indeed create a rippling
effect which eventually can have a greater and significant reach with
percolation deep down in the society.
Yes, we are asking that the allocation of financial outlay for health
sector be increased considerably in the union budget. Infact, this is also vociferously
being raised at various seminars and workshops that are conducted day in and
day out. There is a clarion call to modernise the government setup and
infrastructure in tune with modern standards. There are questions of concern of
inadequate manpower in the public health sector in proportion to our population.
Hundreds of messages, images and memes
float through the social media with ideas to revamp health policies, changing
the modalities of operation and sharpening the focus of public health care
system etc.
With due respect to all concerned, in my humble opinion the points
mentioned above are not entirely wrong. Each one in their own right has a
credible valid reason to state, seek and to review the aspects of public health
appropriate to their expertise and experience. There are challenges that are
always part of any system that is taken up at the national level, particularly
to the size and scale of our country like India.
All said and done the onus lies in the hands of people to make Public
Health successful, meaningful and effective for the cause it works. We cannot
remain mute spectators without taking part in the national mainstream and then
critically evaluate the system of public health. It would be much more prudent,
if we are to come together and lend our support to cause of public health in
our country so that our people and our nation stays healthy and wealthy. We live in an age of rapid social
connectivity, through technology interface success stories of the public
participation in public health care system will indeed result in a cascading
social action that would benefit our nation.
This is the time for the common public to
give a big pat for the public health system in our country and also a great push to
promote it in the society for the welfare of the people of India!
- Nicholas Francis
..................
Note about the author:
Nicholas Francis is a
Professional Social Work Administrator based at Madurai. He is also a Motivational Author and Freelance Writer.
