Remedies To Ailing Healthcare Sector
The government’s move to send the national medical commission bill to a standing committee of Parliament would have pacified doctors on the warpath with the government over some contentious clauses. The NMC bill is neither a new concept nor is it shortsighted. The very fact that the panel perused as much as 22,000 responses says it all. But in its eagerness to reduce red-tapism, the panel appeared to have overshot its brief. Bureaucrats may not be the exact answers to professionals in any high body. In a similar vein, sweeping powers to the Centre to frame rules and oversee the NMC may not be the ideal solution to problems plaguing the health scenario in the country particularly rural India. The committee has been unable to discover there is much more to our tertiary healthcare than paucity of doctors. The rationale of arming our ayurvedic, unani, siddha and homeopathy doctors to practise allopathy, through the six-month “bridge course” to enable them to render services in villages cannot be a panacea for all ills. Branches of medicine should supplement, not supplant, each other. The committee should have thought on the lines of strengthening the alternative medicines to stand on their own. The Arvind Panagariya committee would have done well if it had remedies to the crippled government healthcare instead of focusing on the private players. Both urban and rural India flocking to private medical centres, overlooking the more affordable government care, is because of the meagre facilities in many government hospitals. The need of the hour is to bridge the trust deficit between the people and the government hospitals. The best of brains in the government hospitals migrating to private ones has become a trend.
GANAPATHI BHAT, AKOLA
Education System Unfair To Students
IT is distressing to see our children not learning to think independently. The teaching methods followed in our schools make the children submissive denying themselves chances to learn independently and develop all faculties. Instead of supporting students to become aware of their strengths and figure out how to set their goals, teachers scold, criticise and punish them for every little mistake. Besides, there is a ‘one-size-fits-all curriculum, which offers scope to students to be independent. Teachers, rather our education system, focus only on making students repeat the information acquired and the ideas already formulated, emphasising only on examinations and grades. This education system instills feelings of dependence in students. As a result, many students lack confidence to think independently and make right decisions. Corporal punishment, scolding and criticism must be avoided in classrooms. Students must be provided with opportunities to develop their independent thinking skills.
ASIF IQBAL QASMI, HYDERABAD
Govt Duty-bound To Keep Order In Goa
WE have been repeatedly told by our politicians that action would be taken to rid Goa of garbage around and make it a beautiful place for the tourists to behold. Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has yet again warned the tourists to either refrain from drinking in public or be prepared for the arrest. We are supportive of this move initiated by the government, for drinking as per one’s whims and fancies on the beaches and gardens and discarding the bottles bears an ugly picture. What will be the reaction of the people who feel that such stringent rules will affect tourism? People spare no time to trash such initiatives as unnecessarily curtailing the liberty of tourists and depriving them of indulging on the beaches. However, one’s revelry should not be at the cost of cleanliness and order on the beaches. Even the statement made by Parrikar in this regard is dubious as he goes on to say that people should drink in their homes or hotels and even if they drink in the open they should take the bottles home. Isn’t there incongruence in his words? On one hand he says that drinking in public will be made a cognisable offence and next he concedes that in case they drink in open spaces the bottles should be carried home. What will be the implication of such contradictory statements? The point to be noted is the action purported should be clear-cut without any shade of ambiguity. Next, we hope that the proposal for the plastic ban in a phased manner would see the light of day soon. In fact we have been hearing such statements recurrently with absolutely no effect. If this idea is implemented it would be the best gift for the state, as garbage generation will decline. Many have voiced their concern over the cattle roaming freely and the dogs crossing the roads causing immense hurdles to the drivers and riders alike. Why action is not taken over this scourge? Lastly, the begging by children, allegedly forced into the activity by their bosses, along the beach belts should be completely ended. The authorities should ascertain the parentage of these helpless children and book the offenders under the law.
MICHAEL VAZ, MERCES