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Student Perspectives: The Covid 19 Crisis

5 May 2021
- admin
The COVID-19 pandemic has now risen to a global health crisis across the globe. This novel virus outbreak has challenged India’s economic, medical and public health infrastructure. Health care professionals and researchers around the world are looking for an effective treatment regime for COVID-19.The number of people infected by COVID-19 in India crossed 16 million, after the country reported its first case. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of India (MOHFW) has taken numerous measures to raise awareness on COVID-19 and the necessary actions to control the spread of the virus. The story of the Dharavi slum in Mumbai is a fantastic example of how infections can be contained. It was a model replicated across the world. Over a period of time, from about November of last year, we probably became a little bit complacent, thinking it was out of our lives.In doing that, we probably did not keep the social distancing we should have. And then there were a number of events after that where social distancing was not possible – election campaigns and the Kumbh Mela. If you look at second waves historically, they’ve always been more aggressive and bigger in number than the first. The intensity this time round, though, is more about the overbearing requirement for people to have two things. Firstly, the need to get into a hospital and have a bed with oxygen where they can feel a bit secure. And secondly, the amount of anxiety that comes from not getting a bed. That has been the overwhelming sentiment of most people who may or may not need hospitalisation, but feel it is the most secure place for them.

This question I have asked to myself when I lost my grandfather due to covid-19 as non-availability of medical infrastructure “Does India have enough medical infrastructure for its vast population?

In 2018, India’s spending on healthcare was 1.28% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP). By comparison, in the US it was 17%.

From numbers published by the Indian government in 2019-20, there is one doctor per 1,456 people in the country.

This underinvestment in public healthcare is a long-running issue. Successive governments have not made it a priority.

In smaller cities, towns and rural areas, the situation is particularly bad. Hospitals have inadequate equipment and staff. In some parts of the country, people have to travel miles to get to any kind of medical services.

India has administered just under 150 million doses of vaccine. Some people have had two doses, but most of those vaccinated so far have had one dose.

India has a population of 1.3 billion. So it needs hundreds of millions of doses of vaccine to cover a significant part of its population.

Till then we can only save our self by staying away from socializing, maintaining social distance and eating healthy food.

Opinion Piece by
Mayur Nahata
2 Year PGDM
Class of 2022