My Vision for Health in India

My views on a health care system which not only treats but heals the suffering too. There is nothing called ideal and the needs and definition of ideal changes with time. 

Here are some views which i suggested during a seminar. 

Health is the greatest Wealth and Bliss 

1. Health Budget both state and central should be made five times of existing, with at least a quarter of it going for preventive aspect.
2. Focus on preventive Health: Fall ill and then come to me is the mantra, don’t fall ill and don’t come to me should be the Mantra of Health Sector.
3. Preventive medicine by simple life style changes and screening for diseases are hardly advertised, instead curative aspect is promoted and advertised.  Commercial interests are always on top.
4. Screening to identify disease at earlier stage
5. Medicines of God are Food and Nature:   and today they are the most neglected. We all are eating garbage most of the times. No control of food hygiene in most of our shops. Our youth is eating the unhealthiest food possible.
6. Life Style should include: Hobbies/Yoga/Exercise/Art and Music/seasonal and regional Food/Nature and Travelling. Hobby Classes and Regular Counselling of medicos.
7. Our existing town planning is the right culture medium for microbes.
8. Zero tolerance for corruption: but sadly how many times have you heard the regulatory bodies in taking punitive measures against health care providers who are corrupt.
9. Compassion and transparency amongst health providers.
10. Strict punitive action against segments of public who try to harm with their malafide agenda against health service providers.
11. Bonds in health sector should go away, especially for junior and senior residents. They are not bonded labourers. Make your infrastructure and service condition good, so they themselves stay.
12. Existing PHC, CHC, District Hospitals should be made infrastructure and manpower rich so that load on tertiary health care hospitals is reduced. Three tiers Health System with proper referral policy in place is must.
13. Paramedics’ cadre should be strengthened.
14. Integration of different fields of medical sciences like Ayurveda and other traditional health systems is must. Music and Art therapy also play a very positive role in many chronic diseases.  Music meditation: Healing Your Heart and Soul. Wellness clinics should be promoted.
15. Health Insurance should cover the entire population with equal coverage value, with premiums varying based on income level.
16. Indian Health Service cadre should be created for administration of health services in a better way.
17. There should be strong bond and healthy coordination between three wings of system: Health Education and Research, Clinical practice and Health Administration.
18. Data maintenance and Collection with proper computer records.
19. Premier institutions with decades of excellence and proven records should be given more liberty in designing their own policies in medical education and research.
20. Green Hospitals and Colleges should be promoted and made mandatory. Rain water harvesting, solar power, water recycling etc should be mandatory.

Let’s Heal the Humanity, not merely Treat the Disease.

It was a nice pannel discussion today at New Lecture Theatre of Institute of Medical Sciences, BHU on Health Care for India in coming years. The panelists were from Health sector, IT sector, bio medical engineer, insurance and banking sector. Thanks Dr. Manoj Shah and Dr Anshuman Banerjee for your invitation.

Dr. Siddharth Lakhotia MBBS, MS, M.Ch, FIACS

Professor and Head of the Department

CTVS, IMS BHU  

Date: 27^th July 2024