Far from the madness of metro life, a child lies lifelessly
on the floor of a public hospital distant from his village, hovering somewhere
between the brutality of life and the sick, sad humor called democracy. A
destitute mother is praying to the almighty; will he survive and fulfill his
dreams?
This could be the story of any child in India who lives in
villages, small towns, and remote areas of cities. Now the question arises:
what went wrong, who was responsible for the same – the government, me, or you?
In India, there are approximately 600 million people with
little or no access to healthcare. India has a private system where you pay out
of pocket, which drives accountability, but a significant percentage of the
population simply can’t afford it.
Currently, the doctor-patient ratio in India is 1:1,700; the
World Health Organization stipulates a minimum ratio of 1:1,000. There are 387
medical colleges in the country, with 181 in the government and 206 in the
private sector. India produces 30,000 doctors, 18,000 specialists, 30,000 AYUSH
graduates, 54,000 nurses, 15,000 ANMs, and 36,000 pharmacists annually.
However, the requirement is more than what we produce, as 4 lakh additional
doctors are required by 2020 in India (as per the health ministry of the
Government of India), but would it be sufficient to meet the demand? The answer
is certainly not. As we know, the population will keep on increasing, and the
burden of disease too.
In this depressing scenario, e-Health (e-health is the
transfer of health resources and healthcare by electronic means) can play a
vital role and bridge the gaps in healthcare access that are prevalent in
Indian society because conventional healthcare has failed to reach large
sections of the underserved population.
India is celebrating Digital India Week (from 1st July),
which has been started by the Government of India. During the inaugural
ceremony, PM Narendra Modi said, 'I dream of digital India where quality
healthcare reaches right up to the remotest areas through e-healthcare.' As an
Indian and being human, we should appreciate the initiative taken by the
government.
Now, what is our duty? Only appreciation for the good, or
debating on the subject matter and blaming the responsible?
Or
Can we make the underprivileged privileged by our small
endeavor towards humanity?
This, I am leaving up to you, but we as a team have taken a
vow to address this issue to the best of our ability.
We appeal and invite like minds to join our hands, as we
firmly believe that together we can and we will make a difference… So, let’s
make the difference…
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