HEALTH IS WEALTH

HEALTHCARE- "BEST PLACE TO INVEST IS YOUR OWN BODY"

I Would love to start with the valuable words of Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi who said about health that, 

"It is health that is real wealth and not piece of gold and silve"

Health in ancient India was defined as physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and social wellbeing of an individual.The system of medicine was not about illness and standalone treatment, it combined many concept-diet,climate, beliefs, supernatural, empirical, and culture.

"Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah, Sarve santu Nirmayah"- It means May all become happy, may all be healthy.      -UPANISHADS

The emphasis was on natural and preventive approach to healing aimed at treating the illness from the root cause. The most important practitioners in this field include SUSRUTA, CHARVAKA and VAGBHATA. Susruta is also considered as the 'father of Indian surgery'.

The most important contribution of India is Yoga, Meditation and Ayurveda. Indian medical practices gradually dispersed all over Asia including southeast, Indonesia, TIbet and Japan. 

Health in modern times has been often defined in a negative connotation i.e. absence of illness, which is restrictive and narrow as Amartya Sen has argued that,

" Health is a social good. A person should be termed healthy, if he is able to actively participate in the society".

Health can not be seen in isolation but in wider perspective of human life, as a part of human life, as an instrument for fruitful human life. Being healthy is a process which starts right from morning, the way we breath, the way and what we eat, and all the way to the modalities of our sleep. 

Our vedic text also dwell on the concept of health in totality. 

[" Arogyam parmam bhagyam, swasthyam sarvarthasadhaanam"-

which mean "Good health is the greatest blessing, health is means of everything"  ]

Every year on 21st June we celebrate as "Yoga Day" , one of the greatest contribution of India to healthcare system, especially in emerging lifestyle diseases like dipression, diabetic etc. India is declared as the Diabetic Capital of the World by IDF as highest number of Type-2 diabetic patients are here.

"Good health and good sense are two of life's greatest blessing. If wealth is lost, nothing is lost; If health is lost, something is lost".

Cancer is one of the most common and lethal illnesses in India today. According to data from the International Society of Nephrology’s Kidney Disease Data Center Study, chronic kidney disease (CKD) across different regions of India reported a prevalence of 17 percent, with 17 in every 100 individuals in the country suffering from some kind of kidney ailment.

 According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) data published in 2017, liver disease deaths in India reached over 2.5 lakhs accounting for over 2 percent of total deaths.India today ranks no. 4 in total number of deaths caused by lung diseases in the world and accounts for 10 percent of total deaths in India. 

In 2017, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), an incurable and progressive lung condition that can destroy the air sacs responsible for extracting oxygen and dispelling carbon dioxide from the body, figured as the second biggest killer in India after heart diseases.  It is matter of concern for our country as in the opinion of Winston s. Churchill, " Healthy citizens are the greatest asset any country can have".

If we talk about why health is important, then can see it with many dimensions- 

Health as a social good which enable the society to become more egalitarian, tolerant, sustainable, sensitive and moral based society.It helps in better absorption of education, skills and better relationship with natural resources. 

Health as political good enable the political  discourse of society to become more democratic, more accountable and more decentralised.

Health as a economic good enable economic growth and prosperity as lower spending of health problem leads to lesser burden on family.

Health as a ecological good enable in sustainable development, sustainable consumption and environment friendly policy making. Sterlite protest in Tamil Nadu and protests of Delhi against growing pollution.

Health as a ethical good, Universal Decleration of Human Rights,  Sustainable Development Goal #3-Good Health & Wellbeing, International Covenant on Economic, social and cultural Rights etc have recognised health as a basic human right. Also there has been increasing consensus in India to declare right to health as a part of fundamental right under part III of Indian Constitution.

The recent CORONA pandemic also shed light on the inadequate healthcare system of our country. Because of this adverse healthcare system number of fatalities was very high during the peak time of the COVID -19 disease.Corona Pandemic also attract our focus on the internal immune system and the healthy and fit body which was able to fight this life threatening disease. Strong and healthy person who fight both with their body as well as with their mind become hero after defeating Corona. 

The focus on healthy mind and body force me to memorise the words of Lord Budha who said that,

" To keep the body in good health is a duty, Otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear"

                                                                               ...........TA