K N O W L E D G E P A R T N E R S H I P S
Making sense of India's Population Conundrum
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Every year on the 11thof July the World Population Day is met with a mix of activities in India. On the one hand are the doomsday specialists who draw attention to the increasing population growth rate in India and how we are heading towards disaster adding more than one Australia to our population to quote a favourite comparison. On the hand politicians give long and sometimes comic speeches, my favorite being how India’s population growth can be reduced by providing TV sets to the poor. And indeed one CM had promised TV sets, but that was a state where the growth rate was not a problem. Later the TV set was replaced by the promise of laptops which probably have a greater population related relevance. No one seems to contest the fact that India’s population is growing dangerously and the sword of Damocles that hangs on our heads is that we will overtake the population of China in the next 10 to 12 years. The way this figure is repeated seems to be like a chant which could possibly the only way to avert this ‘disaster’. Read more...
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Patient Rights Accountability and the Need for Transparent Institutional Mechanisms
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The promotion of the paradigm of health care as a ‘private good’ and the State’s indiscriminate endorsement of private health care sector for the business of health care has grossly undermined patient rights. Investing in Health, the World Bank Report (1993) is a watershed in this paradigm, as it legitimised the departure from considering health care as a public good. Globally, especially in the Low and Middle Income Countries, the national governments have been overenthusiastic in paving the path for the growth of the private health care sector while providing diminished focus and scanty resources for upholding patient rights. Read more...
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Madhya Pradesh: Are Court directives enough to bring an end to the camp approach?
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Even after a year of the landmark judgment by the Supreme Court, (Devika Biswas vs Union of India and Ors.) directing the state governments to put an end to the camp approach for sterilisation, operations still continue unabated in appalling conditions in these camps. Conducting sterilisations camps especially targeting women has been a common practice in the Family Planning Programme in India since decades. Even with standards for procedure of sterilization available since 1989, the focus has remained especially on female sterilisation and on fulfilling targets to control population. Read more...
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Can India Achieve the SDG Goal on Ensuring Health and Well-being?
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Between July 10th-19th, country representatives from all over the globe congregated in New York for the High Level Political Forum Meeting of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to report on their respective progress towards the Goals, and renew their commitments to the same. The SDGs which were announced in 2016, have created new opportunities around development practice and policies, both in the non-profit sector as well as in policy making in India. In keeping with this commitment, India too participated in this voluntary review and presented the efforts that the government has made. A report[1]on how the Government of India has addressed specific Goals (Goal 1 – Poverty, Goal 2 – Hunger, Goal 3 – Health, Goal 5 – Gender Equality, Goal 9 – Industry, Goal 14 – Life below water and Goal 17 – Global Partnerships) was prepared by the NITI Aayog. The report ‘ Voluntary National Review (VNR) Report on the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goals’ describes the Government of India’s efforts to align its policies with the new global agenda. Read more...
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Over Population: Facts and Myths
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The World Population Day is celebrated every year on the 11th of July as a result of a UN Resolution in 1990 seeking to enhance awareness of population issues, including their relations to the environment and development. Read more...
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Half –hearted at half-way: Missing political will for walking the talk in health care
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Midway through the tenure of the present union government, its commitment to the basic health care of common citizens, is grossly marked by its failure to walk the talk. Despite its ostensible policy measures such as adopting National Health Policy 2017 and enacting health rights related legislations, one cannot but miss the imprint of its overarching slogans – ‘ease of making business’ and ‘minimum government’ – in its faint political will to strengthen the health care system that is absolutely required to convert these policy talks into systemic mechanisms.
Policy Measures: The data of the fourth round of National Health and Family Survey – 4 (2015-16) released on March 1, 2017 points to improvements in some of the key and critical areas of population health outcomes. As a positive measure, during 2016=17, government initiated several policy measures of considerable significance to the health rights of citizens. Read more... |
Mental Healthcare Bill 2013: The Politics of Silence that Eclipses Public Health Vision
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Public health law advocates legislation as a key policy measure for realizing the equitable distribution of health as a public good. The Mental Healthcare Bill 2013 (MHB) was passed by the Rajya Sabha with 134 amendments on August 8, 2016. Subsequently, it is also passed by the Lok Sabha in the budget session of 2017. This is hailed as a promising new deal in mental health in India. While replacing the Mental Health Act 1987 and decriminalising attempt to suicide, it provides for the ‘protection of the mentally ill person’ and for realizing ‘the right to affordable and accessible mental healthcare without discrimination’ (at the public health care institutions). The feasibility of achieving such a goal in the current political orientation to public health in India needs critical consideration. Read more...
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Challenge before the National Health Policy: Rebuilding trust between Patients and the Healthcare system
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In the months of February and March a couple of incidents took place in hospitals across the country that need close consideration. In Dhule, Maharashtra an Orthopaedic Surgeon Dr Rohan Mhamunkar was beaten up severely by some patients relatives for not attending their patient quickly enough. Then in Mumbai Sion Hospital a junior doctor as beaten up. This was followed by news from Aurangabad that a similar incident had happened. The news about this series of attacks on doctors led the doctors association in Maharashtra to strike calling for safe work environment. The Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) claimed that over 50 such cases had taken place in the last one year. The Bombay High Court did not look favorably at this strike and said that is was a matter of shame “if doctors go on strike like factory men”. Read more...
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COPASAH Social Accountability Dialogue Series 2017
Introduction: COPASAH launched its Social Accountability Dialogue Series (CoPSAD) in March 2017, with a view to facilitate mutual learning among practitioners and accountability thinkers across the globe. The series intends to enrich the field of social accountability with insights and experiences from the field of accountability practice. The first in the series of Social Accountability Dialogues was held on March 15, 2017, 14.30-15.30 (IST). COPASAH Global Convener, Dr. Abhijit Das shared insights and experiences from small scale efforts in India on the theme – Can Social Accountability Strengthen Family Planning Programming? Read more...
Campaign Seeks Men and Boys to be Partners of Gender Justice
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Thousands of passengers who travelled by Delhi Metro from 27th March to 10th April witnessed banners with motivational slogans and standees depicting statement and pictures of famous activists encouraging men and boys to reflect the attitude of being masculine and understand the impact of their thought on the lives of women and girls. Students were also seen distributing brochures and mobile stickers and interacting with visitors curious to know about the campaign rolled out across ten metro stations. Interaction, banner, standees, canopies and volunteer engagement with metro travelers were all part of the collaborative effort of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation and National Campaign EK Saath led by Forum to Engage Men, India Alliance for Gender Justice and One Billion Rising in across ten states in India to encourage men for achieving gender. Read more...
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