We are living in the times of a pandemic and countries across the globe are constantly deploying their resources. To combat any threat, a country has a vast and powerful army. India too has invested and created an army, be it for water, air or ground and this courageous army continues to defend our nation even now. The outbreak that started in 2019, in Wuhan to thousands in China and now, months later, the whole world is facing a pandemic together with more than 1.5 million people being affected.
Thousands and thousands are suffering from the disease in India and the nation has declared a lockdown to prevent the spreading of this virus. The question that arises from the manic spreading of the disease is whether India’s healthcare system is capable of fighting this pandemic?
An army that we need at this hour is the one that fights for the well-being of the citizens, a certified HEALTH ARMY.
What is a Health Army?
A Health Army would be a team of reputed and certified healthcare workers, in every state. The team would have a special medical facility along with dedicated time and personnel for research into advanced technology. They would be specialised in dealing with such health disasters and trained to combat biological warfare in the future. Here are some steps that can be taken by the government to improve the system.
- Improvement in the Healthcare Budget: An increase in the healthcare budget from the public expenditure is necessary to improve the healthcare system of our country. Creating the health army will require funds that should come out of the budget.
- Investing more in Research & Development: The most important part of battling a health disaster is proper research and development and investment in advanced technology. Preparing for a future crisis would involve thinking ahead, which is possible with a health army.
- Investing in Better Hygienic Practices for the Public: An important lesson of this pandemic for the entire world has been maintaining hygiene. The health army should educate people and find feasible hygienic practices for the masses. From washing your hands properly to sanitising spaces and keeping clean everyday, proper hygiene has become an integral part of staying healthy.
- Proper training facilities for healthcare workers: A major role of the government and the health army should be to train and supervise medical practitioners and healthcare workers to deal well with health disasters and unknown ailments.
As per the National Health Profile 2019, India’s public expenditure on health has been less than 1.3% of the GDP for many years. We suggest that the government should now pay special attention to the healthcare system by investing in research and development. Most of the healthcare facilities are currently devoted to curing or treating known diseases and ailments.
In times of a crisis, the government is doing its best to make sure their citizens are safe. By imposing a lockdown this early, the government has already managed to curb the virus from spreading. Even WHO acknowledged that India’s plan to deal with the pandemic has been impressive. Relative to the population size, the number of infected people has been low.
Citizens are being empowered with the right information and urged to follow the regulations being issued by the Ministry. The government also launched the Aarogya Setu app to monitor the number of people affected and help provide information including tips on how to self-isolate. The government has been proactive and managed to contain the virus for now.
As a socially responsible organisation of the country, Srijan Realty is also doing their best to ensure that the country and fellow countrymen are safe by ensuring that people follow proper hygiene, maintain social distance and donate to help the less fortunate. To know more about the CSR activities of Srijan Realty, visit https://srijanrealty.com and to donate to the cause, visit http://kolkatagives.in/covid-19.
