The BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Chamber of Commerce and Industry organised a workshop and panel discussion on ‘Affordable Healthcare’ on May 14, 2014 evening in India International Centre, New Delhi with Dr BBL Madhukar, Secretary General, BRICS CCI as the anchorperson. Padmashri Dr P.K. Dave, former Diector, AIIMS was the chief guest. Dr A.K. Mukherjee, DIG, Spinal Injury Centre delivered the keynote address. Sh. S.B. Shashank, Special Secretary, Health @ Foodworks/ Drug Controller, Govt. of NCT of Delhi spoke as the special guest. Besides some eminent panelists, I also had the opportunity of participation as the representative of the Sulabh International Social Service Organisation.
The above mentioned professional doctors, citing vivid examples of their personal experiences drew a picture of pitiable situation in the health sector. They further added that the better services available in govt hospitals in Delhi were also proving infructuous due to heavy rush of patients from the NCR. They underscored the need of expanding and improving health services in states and districts with most of the facilities, if not the super ones.
In my presentation I concentrarted on preventive measures and lamented that if this sector was ignored, curative services will collapse under the pressure of mounting demands. I quoted a World Bank figure which says that against only 5% of Bangladeshis, 57% of Indians resort to unhygienic practice of open defecation. In yet another survey a list was issued with names of 14 countries where open defecation reduced by 25% since 1990. India does not figure there though our neighbours like Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan are included. Similarly, the experts are of the opinion that out of all diseases 80% are water borne. 2,200 children under 5, in the world die daily of diarrhoeal diseases. Similarly, we have never cared for personal hygiene of menstruating ladies. In an account it has been found that every women of productive age group bleeds for 3,500 days in lifetime. Most of them, particularly in rural areas and from poor families have neither sanitary napkins nor privacy to wash themselves. In Sulabh, we train the girl students of vocational training to prepare hygienic and cheap sanitary napkins. I also referred to an innovation of producing generic medicines in Rajasthan which are priced just at one-fourth of the market rate.
This highly useful programme concluded with the commitment to meet again and again on this topic.
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