AGITATION IS EASY BUT SUSTAINING IS NOT EASY

The Indian nation is grateful to Anna Hazare for creating mass awareness on the cancer of corruption among all sections of people in the country. When the Indian Parliament passes in one voice a " sense of the house resolution" conceding the demands of Anna in August 2011, the country witnessed the finest moment of Anna Hazare's anti-graft agitation for a strong Lokpal. The groundswell of support from the people and the media had only some parallels in Indian history. But using abusive language against members of Parliament, demanding special investigation against the Prime Minister and some Union Ministers, going on periodic fasts and giving ultimatum to the democratically elected Government and such other acts are not laudable. Consequently there has been a slide in public support which was evident when Anna Hazare and team went on a fast in 2012 August. The agitation hit the dead end. The Government chose to be silent on the demands of Anna and his team, who, in turn, chose the political alternative. It was a face saver. On August 6, Anna abruptly disbanded his team and the apolitical crusade against corruption. The decision surprised his team and dismayed the thousands of committed young activists of the India Against Corruption movement. For a corruption- low( if not a corruption- free) India there must be a sustained action by a committed people’s pressure group. And many feel that Anna has dashed their aspirations. I am one among them. In filmy language “ Anna is a super flop” ( Ram Gopal Varma). Any how Anna Hazare cannot be written off social movements do not die. They emerge from time to time under some leadership. 

PENALTY OF IGNORANCE

Leucoderma or vitilgo is an autoimmune disorder of pigmentation. Black hair, skin colour, etc depend on the level of melanin content in the body. Melanin deficiency is the cause of the harmless, white patches of leucoderma. The patches may be confined to one place or may spread to many places. It is not at all infectious or contagious. Ignorance of this elementary fact keeps people away from the vitilgo- affected, many of whom withdraw into a shell for fear of ostracism. People refer to leucoderma as " white leprosy", which is a false belief.
Recently an engineering student with leucodermic patches was suspended from an University in Tamilnadu on the ground that many students were against his continuance.Adverse media publicity made the University to seek medical opinion and to reinstate the student . But can the University ever compensate this psychological damage caused to the innocent student? An educated couple in my neighbourhood-wife a teacher and husband an engineer - decided not to have conjugal relationship just after six years of love marriage ( my counselling failed) as white patches appeared on his body and started spreading. Now 18 years have elapsed without any change in attitude. What a penalty of ignorance?

MENTAL ILLNESS AND CRIMINALITY

Satnam Singh, a young person from Bihar, had a tragic end in God's Own Country. Reports suggest that he was a student of law and had been undergoing treatment for some mental ailment; he was also interested in spiritual reading. He was wandering to different places of worship before reaching Kerala. He was reported to have visited the Mata Amritanandamayee Ashram to have a " feel of the divine presence". His intention was suspected by the devotees. Though the mental condition of the frail young visitor was easily visible, the devotees preferred to hand over the hapless young man to the police. The spiritual heads of the Math appeared to have remained silent during the sequence of events. They could have extended him a hand of love which they are spreading globally. Ultimately the precious life of a young person was abruptly terminated under unnatural circumstances in the " due course of law". Some human consideration by the Ashram would have saved his life. A mentally ill person is equated with a criminal by our insensitive society including even the spiritual gurus. Gods are not always godly.

A DISABLING SOCIETY

More than a billion people in the world experience some form of disability according to the World Health Organization (WHO) and World Bank Report 2011. Around 10 percent of the populations in the developing countries have disabilities according to the estimates.  At the same time, the government of India’s estimate of around 21 million based on the 2001 census (2.13 per cent) with disabilities in the country is a gross underestimation, mainly to the defective definition of disability and inadequate training to the enumerators. Union Minister Jairam Ramesh observes that the present definition of disability by the government is “atrocious”.  WHO defines disabilities as “ an umbrella term covering impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions. An impairment is a problem in body functions or structure; an activity limitation is a difficulty encountered by an individual in executing a task or action; while a participation restriction is a problem experienced by an individual in involvement  in life situations”.

Disability is a complex phenomenon involving a close interaction between “ features of a person’s body and features of the society” in which the individual lives. Social attitudes, prejudices and structural barriers often due to a callous indifference from those concerned cause exclusion of persons with disability from all aspects of society; education, employment, marriage, recreation and social participation. Jeeja Ghosh, a teacher on the wheel chair, was ordered to be deplaned by a pilot of Spice Jet in February 2012. But this blatant discrimination has gone unpunished because of legal deficiency. Article 15 of the constitution of India states ; “The state shall not discriminate against citizens on grounds only of  religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them”. As article 15 is silent on disability, discrimination against persons with disability has been on the increase. Sri Lanka, South Africa and many other countries have specific constitutional bar on discrimination  on grounds of disability. Our law makers amended our Constitution nearly 100 times and yet left this issue untouched.

There are four laws concerning disability in India ; Mental Health Act (1987), Rehabilitation Council Act (1992), Personal Disabilities Act (1995) and National Trust Act (1999) dealing with developmental disabilities. The laws are by and large ineffectively implemented due to bureaucratic apathy and the general lack of sensitivity among the planners and administrators. Union Minister Mukul Wasnik himself admitted that the implementation of the 1995 act was  “skewed and uneven”. A comprehensive law is being drafted and therefore have been serious debates on the desirability of one umbrella legislation. There is a strong view that developmental disabilities concerning children, and mental health would get better attention by not bringing these two under the new PWD Act. Stringent provision against discrimination on the ground of disability is a must in the proposed legislation. India ratified the United Nations convention on the rights of persons with  disabilities in 2007. It is necessary for the new Indian law to be in sync with the UN convention which stipulates that persons with disabilities are to be treated as equals to persons without disabilities.

The creation of a Department of Disability Affairs  in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is a welcome measure though it is belated step. Much is expected from this department as Bureaucratic red-tape and insensitivity of the political establishment have done more harm than good to persons with disability. Disability can strike anyone at anytime. Yet persons with disability are treated as an exclusive class. From the perspective of economics, the country’s GDP growth is significantly deprived of the contribution of a large number of persons with disability. The present charity model has to be replaced with the rights-based model.

Can we expect a  proactive, inclusive approach in the architecture of buildings and infrastructure , and design of public transportation in India ? Or is it a far cry ? A society is judged by the way it treats persons with disabilities, the children and the elderly. An enabling society creates a nurturing and positive environment. But the sad Indian reality is that person with disability today are living in a disabling society.

PHYSICIAN HEAL THYSELF

                                                 PHYSICIAN HEAL THYSELF

The reaction of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) demanding an apology from AamirKhan for " defaming the medical profession " in one of the well-researched episodes of Satyanev Jayathe (SJ) is amusing.Most of the details shown in the SJ episode are already in the public domain. For instance, a sting operation by a popular Malayalam channel exposed the nexus between a leading doctor and a scan center.Whatever be the nature of complaint of the patient, a series of tests and scans were the package prescribed by the specialists with commission regularly flowing to his pocket.In 2011 an e-mail falsely claiming to have been written by a renowned professor of medicine made sensational news in the internet.It was titled "How Indian Doctors Loot Patients? " .Though the professor vehemently denied any association with the e-mail, the shocking contents found favour with the readers including some medical practitioners.

Many movies have been depicting the unethical practices of some doctors and one such movie in Tamil "RAMANA"  is an all-time box office hit. The unsavoury controversies in the recent past involving the Indian Medical Council, the standard setting body of medical education, are too unpleasant to be ignored. The noble medical profession has many distinguished and committed doctors dedicated to service.At the same time, there are many doctors to whom medicine is a lucrative business.As one doctor observes: "Those who have spent nearly 75 lakh rupees towards capitation and other fees for a medical degree cannot be expected to serve society without any gain. Be kind to them.".

The celebrated social scientist Ivan Illich wrote most vehemently against the medical professionals in his highly acclaimed book " Limits to Medicine". The famous Indian physician R.H. Dastur commented ; Doctors needlessly endanger the lives of their patients by excessive and wrongful use of drugs. More and more people are falling prey to iatrogenesis (doctor- inflicted illness)". Hippocrates suggested that "for the sick the least is the best". But the motto of the present-day doctors is " the most is the best", according to Professor of Pharmacology P.C.Dandiya  and others.

The Indian Medical Association should do an objective introspection , and initiate measures to punish the guilty to stem the erosion in the credibility of a great and life-saving profession. Going after the whistle blowers is an exercise in futility.The IMA should set an exemplary model for all professionals.

Angels, No More

Anna Hazare’s Jantar Mantar and Ramlila ground satyagrah protests for a strong Lokpal resembled the struggle for Indian Independence. The nation was recharged with a new fervour and the people’s response was unprecedented in recent years after the JP movement in 1975 Bright young men and women were in the forefront of the Anna Hazare initiative. Many sacrificed their jobs to work full-time for a great cause of creating a corruption-free India. The corridors of power were shaken and the Indian Parliament passed a “ Sense of the House Resolution” to enable Anna Hazare to give up his fast. That was the finest moment of the Anna Hazare movement. But the euphoria was short-lived  Anna Hazare’s rustic prescriptions for various issues, and the involvement of  Team Anna in electoral politics dampened the spirit of a large number of supporters of the anti-corruption crusade.

The tirade against  MPs, Union ministers and even the Prime Minister by members of  Team Anna give the impression that they are partisan and their intent is not apolitical. Most of the  Political parties are vocal in their support for a strong Lokpal. But their interpretation of “strong” is highly elastic. It is doubtful whether India will ever have an effective anti-graft law and a nationally acceptable Lokpal institution with an independent investigation mechanism.

Black money , Mind-boggling scams and scandals, paralysis in decision-making, absence of viable policy initiatives, insensitivity  to people’s needs, and decline in economic growth are eroding the confidence of the people. Even the highest  political authorities appear weak and incapable of inspiring the nation. The Planning Commission  practices the opposite of what is preaches. When millions have no toilets, spending 35 lakh rupees for two toilets is a criminal splurge from the Public exchequer . The austerity measures in government spending prescribed by the Finance Ministry are mere tokenism. Indian judiciary has been the only beacon of hope and justice. But the allegations of corruption against some judges and the recent “cash for bail” scam involving a CBI judge are shaking the nation’s confidence. There is a sense of hopelessness among the people.

There are no more angels in our midst.

PHYSICIAN HEAL THYSELF

                                              PHYSICIAN HEAL THYSELF

The reaction of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) demanding an apology from AamirKhan for " defaming the medical profession " in one of the well-researched episodes of Satyanev Jayathe (SJ) is amusing.Most of the details shown in the SJ episode are already in the public domain. For instance, a sting operation by a popular Malayalam channel exposed the nexus between a leading doctor and a scan center.Whatever be the nature of complaint of the patient, a series of tests and scans were the package prescribed by the specialists with commission regularly flowing to his pocket.In 2011 an e-mail falsely claiming to have been written by a renowned professor of medicine made sensational news in the internet.It was titled "How Indian Doctors Loot Patients? " .Though the professor vehemently denied any association with the e-mail, the shocking contents found favour with the readers including some medical practitioners.

Many movies have been depicting the unethical practices of some doctors and one such movie in Tamil "RAMANA"  is an all-time box office hit. The unsavoury controversies in the recent past involving the Indian Medical Council, the standard setting body of medical education, are too unpleasant to be ignored. The noble medical profession has many distinguished and committed doctors dedicated to service.At the same time, there are many doctors to whom medicine is a lucrative business.As one doctor observes: "Those who have spent nearly 75 lakh rupees towards capitation and other fees for a medical degree cannot be expected to serve society without any gain. Be kind to them.".

The celebrated social scientist Ivan Illich wrote most vehemently against the medical professionals in his highly acclaimed book " Limits to Medicine". The famous Indian physician R.H. Dastur commented ; Doctors needlessly endanger the lives of their patients by excessive and wrongful use of drugs. More and more people are falling prey to iatrogenesis (doctor- inflicted illness)". Hippocrates suggested that "for the sick the least is the best". But the motto of the present-day doctors is " the most is the best", according to Professor of Pharmacology P.C.Dandiya  and others.

The Indian Medical Association should do an objective introspection , and initiate measures to punish the guilty to stem the erosion in the credibility of a great and life-saving profession. Going after the whistle blowers is an exercise in futility.The IMA should set an exemplary model for all professionals.