Health above politics; Wealth without tricks

Notable Nuggets

- Much like the famous proverb about the weather, everybody talks about these things with little perceivable action. And the action must begin at the top

- Swami Shivanand is truly a living example of the fruits of practising Yoga for fitness

- The responsibility with which most of us behave at home should be shown outside, much more in public life

- Irrespective of the initial hiccups, Covid has shown as to how the Centre and States can work together

Much like the famous proverb about the weather, everybody talks about these things with little perceivable action. And the action must begin at the top

Brutely put, Covid was a great leveler. It has not spared any or favoured any either. So, the National Health Policy must be above politics and the ruling dispensation must allow transparency and accommodate criticism – much like the doctor is expected to do

The world is talking about health in the post-Covid era. And it is time we stopped talking about it and began acting on it. The massive awareness that Covid has generated on the need to be healthy is a godsend opportunity for all of us – yes all including me, you, the governments, the elected representatives from Panchayat to Parliament. We have a lot to learn from the lives of people such as 126-year-old Swami Shivanand who recently received the Padma Shri award from the President. The way he walked straight up to the President and bowed before Prime Minister were really the gripping moments. Frankly, he deserves much more than a Padma Shri which was also given to 106 others.

Swami Shivanand is truly a living example of the fruits of practising Yoga for fitness. While on Yoga, it is extremely heartening to see the age-old Indian fitness programme creating a Guiness World Record at Doha with the participation of 114 nations in a show oganised by our Embassy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted: "Yoga is uniting the world in pursuit of good health and wellness." Exactly!

National Unity, universal health, housing for all, good environment and now Sab Ka Vikas have all become cliche. Much like the famous proverb about the weather, everybody talks about these things with little perceivable action. And the action must begin at the top. Inclusive development must be seen in action from the top and not reduced to a political talk or favouring chosen few. Health is wealth. Everything begins with health and fitness.

In at least the subject of health and everything that is connected with health, one should not allow politics to interfere. Brutely put, Covid was a great leveler. It has not spared any or favoured any either. So, the National Health Policy must be above politics and the ruling dispensation must allow transparency and accommodate criticism – much like the doctor is expected to do. The governments must welcome critical views and take corrective actions. The governments at all levels must accept the flaws in the health system and correct them in a healthy manner. Pun intended.

The inclusiveness in any sphere should be treated as two-way. To give a small example, the opposition should treat the Prime Minister as the country's leader and the PM should regard the opposition as the people's representatives and their opinion must be respected even if you happen to take it with a tonne of salt. In a true democracy, no one is irrelevant. When we talk of Sanatan Dharma and the Vedas and Puranas, one should remember the age-old shloka - Om Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah… (May All Be Happy). All elected representatives should begin to bring in this discipline since they are all elders.

As I said in a previous column, the responsibility with which most of us behave at home should be shown outside, much more in public life. When people look up to you, don't let them down.

The Diamond Jubilee celebrations of the Independence do give us an opportunity to the governments to start a new chapter in inclusive politics. The Election Commission gives an opportunity to all political parties to use the Doordarshan and All India Radio to broadcast their messages. Can we not have similar messaging under the aegis of the President to keep the entire process above politics? I have written to Prime Minister to facilitate this in a true spirit of statesmanship.

Let all parties come up with their Vision 100 and let the Government make an inclusive agenda. Subjects are many; but time is short. One lifetime is not enough to even attempt to solve problems in life.

While on the subject of health, let us deal with health education. During the recent election speeches, we have heard that Uttar Pradesh has been making rapid strides in increasing the number of medical colleges. Then suddenly, the Russian charge against Ukraine has forced 20,000 medical students to return to India in distress. No political party worth its name seems to have addressed this issue. Parents spend fortunes to send their children for foreign education and those who were bundled out of Ukraine are at different stages of their medical education.

Veteran medical professionals such as Dr Devi Shetty made some suggestions to allow expansion of existing medical education facilities and using the alumni of various colleges as faculty. This is revolutionary and certainly doable. Mr Modi, do give it a thought. Since education is a State subject, various States also should take decisions on these lines with of course the central guidance. Irrespective of the initial hiccups, Covid has shown as to how the Centre and States can work together. The vaccination drive is going on well and we do not hear of any partialities in the jabs being administered.

The UP election campaign (and the poll result, too) has shown the importance of welfare measures. The BJP, in a way, has shown to all States as to how to win elections. Focus on labour intensive infrastructure projects, the One-District-One-Product scheme and the top leadership presence in all the districts have done wonders. One recalls a similar experiment done by Chandrababu Naidu as the CM of undivided Andhra Pradesh and his early morning video calls with the district collectors. All these are meant to focus on accountability. And like everything that I discussed here, even accountability begins at the top.

Applying the famous definition of being good, one can safely say you should not only be transparent in your public behaviour, but be seen also being transparent. Apart from the customary tea with the CM ahead of the legislature sessions, such formal consultations must be held on all key issues – be it the Polavaram Project or the Bullet Trains. There are scores of welfare schemes with budget allocations that await implementation. How many of them and how far are they implemented? These schemes provide an easy way to win the goodwill of people and they can be implemented at the district levels with the involvement of the Collectors.

Let me give you a concrete example (pun intended, again!) from one of the features that I did for a business magazine more than 20 years ago which I keep quoting in my training sessions. Pharma company Lupin Human Welfare and Research Foundation asked around in Bharatpur area about the basic needs of the people. In one village, the people said they needed pucca road to reach the district headquarters to take the sick and pregnant women. Lupin team worked with the Collector, roped in resources from the MLA/MP funds and involved the village committees in shram daan and even audit of the expenses. Lupin didn't spend anything nor did it charge a single paisa. It just acted as a catalyst. Subsequently, Lupin worked on rehabilitating petty dacoits, channelising wasteful expenses on rituals like Mrityu Bhoj in which many neighbouring villages are fed for days together in the memory of the departed. Lupin set an example by asking one such family to donate part of the Mrityu Bhoj money for education with the departed person's statue in the school premises.

All politicians, irrespective of their party affiliations, talk big about social reformers like Mahatma Phule, Raja Rammohan Roy, Ishwar Chandra Vidya Sagar and so on. Fortunately for these politicians, they do not have to toil like the reformers of the bygone era. We have government schemes at the District, State and National levels which can be taken up and implemented beyond political interests. Votes will be cast, automatically.

(The author is a Mumbai-based media veteran known for his thought-provoking messaging)