COVID-19 PANDEMIC – GOVT-RESPONSE AND THE PEOPLE….

A small virus, a new one, has created a pandemic and panic in the entire world. It has thrown a challenge to the abilities of societies, with all the scientific and technological advances of the 21^st century, to cope up with Covid caused by it.

The six months experience during its attack, which is still continuing, shows that some countries fared quite well while some are devastated.

Countries, where health is considered the Right of every citizen, as the responsibility of the State, with a strong public health system were able to contain the virus and save lives. These are China, Vietnam, Cuba, Laos, North Korea. These are countries with a socialist system, where people’s welfare is the priority, not corporate profits. Kerala, a small state in our country, under the LDF government has won universal acclaim for effectively containing the disease.

The countries, where health is not considered a basic right, is treated as a commodity and left to the private sector to reap profits and the public health system is crippled, have failed to protect lives of their citizens. These are led by the USA and include many countries like the UK, France, Italy, Spain, Brazil and India. These are countries with the capitalist system where corporate profits drive the policy regime, not people’s welfare. It is not that these countries do not have the financial resources to meet the health needs of the people; it is the absence of political will. Health care is bartered to the private sector which operates and can only operate with the motive for profits.

The novel Corona virus has sharply brought into focus this difference between the two systems.

Let us take our own country, India, as an example. How did the BJP government respond to the crisis? How did it treat health care to the common people?

The world knew about the virulence and the fast spreading character of the novel corona virus by January end. The WHO released some guidelines to contain spread on 3^rd February. The LDF government in Kerala geared itself up to meet the situation. But the government of India adopted a nonchalant attitude. No serious measures were taken for testing, tracing, isolating etc. Unscientific ideas about preventing and treating Covid were allowed to spread.

Countrywide lock-down was announced suddenly without giving time for people to prepare for the disruption in their lives.

Lock down is not cure. It is only a measure to buy time to strengthen health infrastructure and make necessary arrangements to face the health crisis effectively. But the BJP government failed to do this. Frontline workers including doctors, paramedics, nurses, ASHAs, 108 drivers and employees, anganwadi employees and others had to work without protective equipment. Many doctors, nurses, paramedics, ASHAs and anganwadi employees became infected; several died. The insurance announced by the government did not reach their families. The government hypocritically confined to showering flowers, banging on pots and plates in their honour.

Adequate testing was not done. Adequate beds, isolation wards and quarantine facilities were not made available to the patients. There is serious shortage of personnel.

It is not only a case of mismanagement or failure of the government. It has mainly to do with the policies adopted by the BJP government; its approach to people’s health. It is private health system that dominates in our country. With the advent of neo-liberal policies, public health system has been weakened and private corporate health system is being promoted. This has further worsened under the Modi led BJP government. Allotment to health has been slashed by 44% in the last budget. Health expenditure in our country today is less than 1% of GDP. Tens of thousands of posts of doctors, nurses, lab assistants etc are lying vacant. Ayushman Bharat is meant to promote insurance based health care that benefits mainly the insurance companies and corporate hospitals, not the common people.

It is the employees and workers, employed in the public health system, who are working round the clock to provide health care and save lives of people today. They are risking their own lives and the lives of their family members to save the lives of others. It is the much derided public health system that is today serving the people despite the heavy load and meagre facilities.

The private health system has almost isolated itself. Afraid of the risk, not only Covid patients it is not treating the other patients also. Today, 80% of the total hospital beds and 60% of ventilators are in the private sector, which operates for profit, not with the motive of providing health care for all. In January 2020 NITI Aayog proposed running the government district hospitals under the PPP mode with private medical colleges, thereby facilitating use of government infrastructure and facilities for private profit.

What is needed is strengthening public health infrastructure, protective equipment to front line workers; affordable medicines and easily accessible health care for all. What is needed is to commandeer and bring under strict discipline the private health institutions and business for servicing the people in need within the affordable rates for the people.  Health care is our right, rathe a basic human right.

Published by Centre of Indian Trade Unions