Heal-Thy India

69 years after having gained a hard-won and much cherished Independence, can we really say that we have made giant steps towards a healthy India? Have we been able to ensure a healthy life and adequate health-care for our millions – especially the marginalised? Are the numerous celebrated Super-Speciality Hospitals, with their proud teams of highly qualified specialist doctors, their Five-star ambiences extruding an aura of comfort for the patients, and their state-of-the-art imported equipment, an indicator of our having achieved high standards in health-care? Does health-care mean disease-care alone? Rather, does it not mean ensuring clean environment, safe drinking water, balanced food in adequacy, good hygiene and sanitation and good lifestyle habits – so that the root causes of diseases may be eradicated? What should be the priorities in medical education, and what aptitudes and attitudes should we look for, and foster in aspiring doctors? What are the good practices in health-care obtaining in the developed world, which we may emulate? A committed professional with over three decades of tireless service in the field of medicine and medical teaching, shares his thoughts on these and much more… A must-read for every doctor, every medical student, everyone who is health-conscious and for everyone who has the interests of society and his fellow men at heart…