The Union Government under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi has given the utmost priority to the improvement of the health and medical infrastructure in India to provide better living standards to the people of our country. Yet the gap between the requirements and the services available in the medical and health sector has widened since states and the Union paid inadequate attention to it for a long period after Independence. Though our usage of modern medical equipment and practice of advanced systems have been upgraded tremendously for the last two decades, our country’s R&D is not on par with international standards due to the low and almost insignificant budgetary allocations from the state governments and improper attention from the Union Governments since 1947.
Health is listed as a state subject in our Constitution. Our health infrastructure has not yet reached the minimum standards even after spending lakhs or crores of rupees so far due to corruption in the implementation of medical and health projects and irresponsible behaviour and governance regarding public health. But in case of a situation like the Covid-19 pandemic, the Union Government is responsible to step in and coordinate with the states and Union Territories to issue appropriate directives and assistance with available resources. For the ongoing pandemic, the present Union Government has laid out many initiatives since March 2020. Firstly, lockdown guidelines were issued and implemented successfully with the coordination and support of the state governments, although there were a few problems like the migrant labourer crisis. Secondly, the Union Finance Ministry announced the stagewise rollout of the Atmanirbhar Bharat Package with the coordination of the RBI to cover all sections of the population and all sectors of industry, especially the Garib Kalyan Yojana for families living below the poverty line. Thirdly, a phased ‘Unlock’ was implemented as per the prevailing situation.
As we know, the global economy has been hampered due to the lockdowns and uncertainty about the behaviour of the novel coronavirus. Despite that, the economy of our country revived slowly in the Fourth Quarter of 2020-21 and was on track to show 12% growth in the current financial year of 2021-22. However, just when we felt that things were beginning to settle, the second wave of the infection hit the country like a tide.
Though we operate in a federal system where both the Centre and states regulate the system, as per the Constitution, the Opposition is always looking to corner PM Narendra Modi on every issue. People have high expectations from such able leadership, but the Opposition always indulges in mud-slinging, whether there is a reason or not. Right now, several political attacks are being launched against the Narendra Modi-led Union Government, alleging they are responsible for a shortage of hospital beds and doctors per 10,000 population ratio, causing a shortage of vaccines by exporting them, removing the Rs. 50 lakh insurance cover for health workers, and for the poor healthcare infrastructure in the country. We should not say that all is well, but it needs to be addressed with facts. The truth will prevail when both the Union and state governments cohesively handle the situation rather than aim at settling political scores, even as people go through such pain.
As per an article published in a newspaper, our country’s situation is pathetic. For every 10,000 people, there are only 8.6 doctors and 5 beds available. These figures sound pretty unhealthy when compared with other countries, even those smaller than us. We need to question whether this situation emerged all of a sudden in the last six or seven years or is the cumulative result of how India has been governed for the last 74 years. I can’t say that I am happy with the present situation in our country, but we are reasonably better off in managing the situation when compared with even developed countries with high resources. We have the confidence to combat the pandemic.
Coming to whom to blame for the poor state of our medical infrastructure today, the fact is health is a state subject, but every state still relies on assistance from the Union Government. Even the Union Government prior to 2014 did not take adequate precautions. Former PM AB Vajpayee made the first step to set up advanced medical institutions and six AIIMS across the nation in 2003 when there had been only two established by the Congress since Independence. In 2013, only one was established by the then PM Manmohan Singh in Raebareli. Later, present PM Narendra Modi announced 22 premier advanced medical institutions in the country, 16 out of which have been under implementation at various stages for the last seven years. More than 150 medical colleges have also been announced to be set up in different states, 75 out of which were announced recently. More than 30,000 seats in medical colleges have also been added, taking the country’s total to 80,000 now.
PM Narendra Modi also introduced Ayushman Bharat to provide medical services free of cost to 10.74 crore BPL families, with up to Rs. 5 lakhs of coverage per family, and announced setting up 1.50 lakh Health and Wellness Centres to bring healthcare to the people. Further, he established the PM CARES Fund with an intention to collect money from various sources other than budgetary allocations to spend objectively for the Covid-19 projects and schemes. More than Rs 3,000 crores have been collected and spent on emergency medical and health infrastructure during the financial year 2020-21. Moreover, 50,000 ventilators have been manufactured by Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone and Rs. 2000 crores have been allocated to government hospitals across the country through PM CARES. Rs. 1000 crores have been spent on food, accommodation, transportation and medical treatment for migrant labourers. Rs 100 crores have been allocated for the R&D of indigenous vaccines. Further, in the current financial year, Rs. 2,220 crores has already been spent to bear 82% of the cost of the first phase of the vaccination drive, which was aimed at frontline and health workers. The Union Health Ministry also declared that 100 hospitals in the country will have their own oxygen plants under the PM-CARES Fund as a priority. On the other hand, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had allocated a Rs 2,23,846 crore budget outlay for the health sector for the financial year 2021-22, as compared to the sum of Rs 94,452 crore in the year 2020-21, an increase of 137% which was made keeping in view the uncertain Covid-19 pandemic. Out of that, a proposed Rs 35,000 crore outlay was kept for Covid vaccines. When the Narendra Modi-led Union Government is operating these funds effectively to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, along with budgetary and emergency funds, why are Opposition leaders busy playing cheap politics around PM CARES, instead of appealing for assistance for the people in such an uncertain environment?
Besides the blame game which began with the second wave of the pandemic, Opposition leaders are also spreading false propaganda that the Union Government removed the Rs. 50 lakh insurance coverage for frontline workers. That is not a fact, because the insurance agreement ceased to be in existence with the insurance agency by 24 April 2021, as was declared under the Garib Kalyan Yojana, to settle all the claims during this period. Now, the Union Government has declared a new scheme for providing insurance cover to frontline workers. In addition to the above, Congress party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi have negatively targeted the indigenous vaccine and its performance, even as Narendra Modi stands as the poster boy for the ‘Made in India’ vaccine for the world. Previously, we always depended on imports of vaccines, whereas even under the current circumstances, the entire world is waiting for assistance from India. Those who commented negatively on the indigenous vaccine are now offering suggestions for how to implement a successful vaccination program. But the Union Government has already planned to provide vaccination to all people above 18 years of age and provided Rs 4,500 crores worth of financial assistance through a loan to Bharat Biotech and the Serum Institute of India so they can boost the production of vaccines. The Union has also allowed that 50% of the vaccine production go to state governments straightaway from the manufacturers to speed up the massive vaccination drive in the third phase which starts in May 2021.
We also need to understand that there are international agreements to provide assistance to other countries with vaccinations, also since financial and technical assistance for R&D and approvals made by international agencies come with a condition to supply to other countries. Hence, the blame game around vaccine exports and the efficiency of vaccine candidates are only ways to divert from the goodwill of our nation and Narendra Modi in and outside our country. But they will fail as the truth always prevails.
Finally, in this second wave of Covid-19, the availability of oxygen is crucial. The Union Government has taken all measures with immediate effect to provide 100 identified hospitals their own oxygen plants under the PM-CARES Fund and a further 50,000 MT of medical oxygen will be imported for smooth availability. At this crucial juncture, we need to address facts in a true and fair manner rather than indulging in cheap politics and settling political scores.
The writer holds a degree in commerce and works as an FCA. The views expressed are personal.