Friends, Romans, Countrymen - Where is the world headed to? Disclaimer: Few of you may classify this post under “Mindless Rant” but I still am going to express my view. Excuse my story telling capabilities because, they are non-existent…
Just an hour ago, a few minutes past midnight, I was coming home from work. Taking a right turn from Hosur Road (BLR) to Jail road, I see a group of about 8 policemen standing around a body lying in the middle of the road. There were another couple of policemen who were waiting on the other side of the road, trying to cross and join the other 8 colleagues. I briefly halt my car and carry on – take the right turn (no pun intended)
After about hundred meters, I see a police jeep with siren, sprinting down to reach the accident spot perhaps.
Now this could be a hit and run… the first group of policemen did not arrive there in a jeep. They got there on their bikes. Assuming they usually hunt in pairs (again, no pun intended)… I am trying to reconstruct the scene.
A message flashes on the wireless saying there is a hit and run… 5 different groups of policemen who were on night patrol reach the spot from the different areas they were patrolling. This could probably have taken 10-15 mins for all 10 of them to reach the spot. The jeep is also dispatched…
In most developed countries you would see a Ambulance... Where the heck is the ambulance here? Or do the policemen consider themselves competent to declare a person dead? Most, and no offence to any cop, are 12th pass, so i am assuming they cant declare a chicken dead, leave alone human beings.
Now take a moment to understand where my frustration is coming from. I want to know what it takes to get world class medical care. It is simple math actually.
Assuming we divide a city into 5 zone, N-E-W-S and central and assign 3 ambulances to each zone. Assuming that each state-of-the-art ambulance costs 30 lacs, the total cost will be 90 lacs per zone and 90*5 zones =4.5 crores. Another 10 lac to set up/upgrade infrastructure, personell etc to man a central distress communication tower linked to the cops’ wireless frequency. About 5 crores is all that is required to have world class emergency medical care that ensures that an ambulance reaches an accident victim in 10 mins flat, atleast in the dead of the night.
Here are some more numbers to chew on – India is spending amounts in excess of 1 lac crore (that is not a typo) on setting up the civil nuclear reactors to meet our power/electricity demands for the future.
Why does our country misplace its priorities? Isnt human life more important than electricity? Electricity is important, but human life, probably should win the vote hands down…
Think of the country like it’s your house and its citizens your family members. If you had the last 10,000 rupees to spend and you are given a choice, only between buying a generator or purchasing medical insurance for your family, what should you buy?
Bottomline: I would rather sit in the dark the rest of my life, than die on the street due to lack of medical attention.. But that is me... Please first read the following, if you decided to give me a dressing down for starting this thread: I know that India is a great country, it is a super power and I am proud of the diversity of the nation. I know about the rich culture and history that we have and our role in shaping the world, as we know it today – be it the field of medicine, mathematics, astronomy or science in general. I am not criticizing mindlessly. I am pointing out a simple but sad truth of the world of politics… Where making money is the primary agenda. Think about the 1.2 lac crore nuclear deal signed with USA… and then think about Bofors... and then reply, if you wish to. |