Since the outbreak of COVID-19, India is one of the countries that have been hit hard as far as the South Asian region is concerned. The situation here is such that every day thousands of positive cases are being reported, and in several cases, the patients have even died due to the effects of the virus. As per the current data available on the Government website, there are more than 2,20,114 active cases in India and more than 3,47,978 cases have been closed with more than 1,74,00 patients dead due to complications.
If we consider the state-wise data, the most affected Indian states are:
- Maharashtra (1,74,761 cases)
- Gujarat (32,557 cases)
- Delhi (87,360 cases)
- Tamil Nadu (90,167 cases)
As these states have experienced the most negative impact of the virus, the respective State Governments are doing their best to contain the situation until a permanent solution comes into existence. Hence, the respective Chief Ministers of these states have constantly been monitoring the situation in their states and have occasionally given press interviews to talk about the measures being implemented to tackle the pandemic.
Talking about Maharashtra, CM Uddhav Thackray has been holding press conferences to educate people regarding the measures executed in order to not get affected by the virus. Even the CMs of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu have been informing the public about the steps undertaken to tackle the issue. However, out of all the mentioned executives, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal is the one who has been constantly holding press meetings more than twice every month since the pandemic outbreak. In these instances, Kejriwal has been highlighting how the AAP’s elected representatives are trying to provide assistance to the people belonging to their respective constituencies.
During the course of the conferences, Kejriwal highlights how the State Government is co-operating with the Central Government regarding the availability of PPE kits as well as medical infrastructure. Medical authorities in Delhi have been taking care of the patients who have been tested positive. Apart from this, when questioned about the CM’s personal views on the situation, Arvind Kejriwal said that this pandemic revealed that, over years, India had not been able to effectively invest in its healthcare system.
While saying this, Mr Kejriwal did not intend to blame any political party, but according to me, what the CM voiced is India’s harsh reality. The Indian healthcare system has come a long way: it is praised in other parts of the world. Indian doctors have always played a crucial role in treating patients going through sensitive conditions, and due to this reputation, Indians feel proud of the accomplishments of our doctors. But at the same time, this period of outbreak has also exposed the loopholes in the existing medical system in India especially when it comes to the conditions of Government hospitals as well as the provision of equipment.
A few days back, former Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis tweeted about the condition of a Government hospital located in Sion area where apparently dead bodies were lying near the patients who were being treated. There have been a few other instances which were highlighted both by mainstream and social media regarding the unhygienic conditions of Government hospitals. The situation in which doctors are working is vulnerable, that too without the necessary equipment.
It is important to realise that now is the time when we, as citizens, in cooperation with the political executives must come together to fight this pandemic. We must ensure that appropriate investments are made into the country’s healthcare system comprising of both private healthcare system as well as the government one.
This one pandemic outbreak is enough to witness the damage being done to the country, both economically as well as in terms of human lives. With concerns that a second wave of this pandemic might occur, it is necessary to make our health care system effective and efficient enough to sustain any possible scenario of a virus outbreak in the future.