Have you ever seen any bureaucrat, politician (lets us call them VVIP) or their family being treated along with your loved ones in any of the hospitals of the valley?I am sure the answer is mostly no. If you ask any Kashmiri doctor working in Delhi, you will come to know most of our self-styled VIPs get themselves treated in costly and high end hospitals of Delhi and other parts of country.I am not in any way opposed to them going to Delhi or getting their loved ones treated at expensive hospitals. But there is a problem. Do you know who pays their bill?
When there used to be any thefts in our villages, the only solution to the problem was to give the thieves responsibility of night watch and hold them responsible every time there was any incident. Similar is the story with our exchequer and tax payers’ money. Although you have given keys to them, you have no power to hold them accountable. In fact you don’t even know it is your money. A blue eyed VVIP takes his family member for a routine surgery like removing gallbladder outside state. Surgery is done in a posh private hospital charging few lac rupees. Once back in the office, the VVIP sends his peon to the directorate of health services with the bill and instructs the in charge officers to process it urgently. What would they do, they cannot refuse, after all they are only in charge and they can be changed, transferred or dismissed any time. Somehow with in no time, note on note is written which essentially says that the VVIP was on official tour to outside the state and suddenly the family member became unwell and the doctors there advised emergency surgery. And hence you pay the bill of few lacs from the state exchequer even without your knowledge, as the educated conman here is clever, entitled and above all VVIP.
Even if the VVIP wishes to get treated locally, by a simple phone call they make sure they are either seen at home, or even if they come to hospital, they don’t have to wait, get a registration card or pay for anything. You will be surprised how the bills are adjusted. So if the VVIPs have no idea how hospitals work, how the long queues never end, how poor patients and their tired doctors manage the rush, how are they going to know what to do with the failing health care in state.
If we talk about the bureaucrats working in the department of health, what do they actually do? Sign files, transfer people from here and there, get special treatment if they are unwell and rush out of state to sort their health needs. Have you ever heard they come up with a policy, white paper or just some statistics about the current affair of health issues in the State?
This raises an important question, why do some state employees (of course VVIPs are employees) get to treat themselves and their families wherever they want and why not you. Are they paid less in their salary that they need extra help? Are they doing some great humanitarian work that you are obliged to shower them with the money, which the state even doesn’t have? Are they running the affairs of state so well, you feel like rewarding them? You all know that is not the case. None of the departments can even claim they know actually what they are meant for, let alone be productive. It is simple, the people who are supposed to be running the affairs and safeguard your health, resources and money, are obsessed with the idea of being special and important than rest of you. After all they know how to pass rules or bend rules to suit their needs. But they are not the only one who believes for them being special; actually it is you who think they are above law with lives more precious than yours.
There are endless examples of neglect and deliberate harm by the health department, which amounts to criminal offence in most countries in this day and age. Hundreds of neonates died in hospital, supply of fake drugs, thousands infected with hepatitis C both in tertiary care and periphery, most women left without a uterus, overcrowded hospitals without any accountability for mortality rates, thousands dying in road traffic accidents due to lack of emergency service (ambulances and paramedics) and the list goes on. You all know the number of probes ordered but no one being held responsible for anything till date.
There is not a day when a doctor is not assaulted, beaten or humiliated and mostly with no fault on his or her part. The health ministry was awarded to a person who humiliates doctors, without actually having any idea about the health sector and its failings. It seems he is finding it hard to come out of the election campaign mode, that is why we hear regular impractical threats against doctors. When few haemophilic patients got infected with hepatitis in United Kingdom, the British Prime Minister apologised in the parliament and all those people were compensated for failure of the state to provide safe health care. But I wonder if our health minister actually knows about basic health issues in the State or is he done with keeping people happy with his rhetoric.
Since he has taken charge, he has yet to talk about any meaningful policy to salvage the broken system. I wonder if his commissioner secretary health has any idea or real plans to reboot the system without blaming the professionals who are working day and night in difficult environment. But maybe it does not affect them as they get free treatment from best possible set up in the country and they do not have to even pay for it. Hence why should they bother what is happening to common people and to the health department they are allegedly managing.
Finally it is your chosen government and health minister, and it is your life and health. The responsibility is yours, whether you want to have safe and equitable health care or you are happy with funding their costly lifestyle and five star hospitals stays outside the state. The vote bank gimmicks of arresting staff, dismissing doctors and transferring officers is not going to change things on ground. Constructing huge hospital building is also not going to do much but make them richer. Unless you demand an honest, dignified and safe health care system with adequate staff and resources the innocent will keep suffering. It is your right so take it or leave it but please stop beating doctors; they are bound to commit mistakes when their morale is shattered. There are inadequate resources and manpower to cater to the growing population. May be the Chief Minister should ponder if his voters deserve safe and dignified health care, seeing as it is after all a BASIC HUMAN RIGHT!
