All Messed up
Of course its about Health, Kishan (Hope you are reading). This is not just a figure but an estimate of health expenses in near future for a poor country like India. Sometime back, I came across a detailed report by PWC talking about various facets of this topic, healthcare in India. Though, the consulting giant’s concern is purely commercial, looking at our typical health weakness as a corporate opportunity. But the question still remains, who would foot the bill, while the discussion is about a country where majority still struggles for a square meal.
Those who are interested in making good money, please take the clue and start your own healthcare setup ASAP. However, the concern raised is well substantiated, and should be an alarm for the death knell. This is absolutely harrowing to imagine our own people dying because of lack of money to fund their treatment. Nevertheless, this grave issue has compounded over a century now with many determinants spoiling the case. We must have forgotten the ideal lifestyle since centuries and consider the same as a retrograde thought, food habits too equally deplorable. So indisputably, lifestyle diseases have crippled the entire population, leading a reckless life running after a mirage (money). The health expenses in fact an unaccounted-for spending for a growing economy, but beyond our imagination the magnitude keeps pace with the so called huge size of the economy itself. The crux of the story is whether, we are still in positive after considering the projected future medical bills or the entire lifetime savings would fall drastically short of that figure.
Even though we are barely saving some money, the subject requires a wholehearted soul-searching. The potential complications responsible for this situation and possible way outs in order to match off strengths with weaknesses and trading off threats with opportunities. Amazingly, the solutions are very neatly embedded with each of the problem basically the lifestyle and food habits.
At the outset, we are living in denigrated environment filled with urban filth all around, the air, water and earth all are contaminated with hazardous elements. The protective layer of our mother nature has been breached to allow all sort of disorder into our psycho-physical system. Though this subject requires separate discussion, responsible bodies are in action now, in right perspective to restore some order for a living condition on this planet.
The competitive work environment and technology have taken their toll on lifestyle, we have almost forgotten all the basic commandments for healthy life. All we are religiously following is rather the rules for a wealthy life, undermining the fact that health always remains the most treasured wealth. Sound sleep is primary for good health, that must not be compromised nor substituted with. Work pressure and stress causes a lot of lifestyle diseases including diabetes and blood pressure. The anxiety level should be controlled by adhering to a philosophical approach to life.
Lifestyle being a broad subject, I am kin on attaching the work-out aspect here. Let that be aerobics, dancing, jogging, cardio, weight exercise, or even martial arts, a regular routine ensures body resistance in this hostile condition. We in India, reinvented “Yoga & Pranayam” only after westerns started preaching back the same to us. The matter of fact is we are not proud of ourselves, any thing that comes with a “Made In India” tag is rebuffed instantly as out dated or not up-to the mark. However, just fifteen minutes of Yoga everyday, conditions the body resilient enough to insulate it from all maladies including the critical ones.
Last but not the least, the food habits, alone can either kill or save the entire population. Right food of right portion on right time is key to healthy life. But in this generation a food is right only if that tastes well but lets not forget about the bitter pill. I remember during my childhood the brown rice used to be ridiculed as a backward choice. Doctors now recommend that along with other raw food items snubbing all processed and fast foods. Lifestyle too is responsible for the improper food habits, as we tend to eat nonsense just to survive and continue to work. Working hard is good but not at the cost of loosing on good health, then the benefits reaped would be dwarfed by the cost incurred.
There must be a research commissioned on the typical Indian foods for the purpose of understanding the health implications. In fact the millions year of study has been applied aptly while recommending various delicacies. The bills of material are so meticulously cooked that not only that presents mouth-watering items but also healthy food. A further study could even establish the food items cure some internal diseases, thats too quietly. For instance a pulse called “Kolatha” mixed with other pulses while preparing DAL, cures from any abdominal stone problem apart from improving the digestive system. A classic spice, cumin seed used to accentuate the taste as well as ability to digest the food. The same is used as a medicine to cure acute stomach disorder, as a clear indication of Ayurvedic influence.
Let me workout
The tragedy is, the very people I am writing for, might not be reading this, so my message may be lost in transition. Nonetheless the the menace of growing medical bill can be tames to some extent with medical insurance in place. Otherwise, the entry to a hospital would be barred, saying ‘Right to admission is reserved with the management.” The most vulnerable people are in the unorganized sector, the government should implement, health schemes to cover these people from healthcare commercialization.
This article is a heart felt tribute to all my friends who passed away untimely because of health issues.
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