If Maharashtra, the richest state in India with a GDP figure of 38.79 lakh crore rupees in 2023, witnessed the death of 82 patients in four government hospitals within three days (October 1-3), it is the result of sheer negligence and absolute failure in governance. It is one of the results of wrong priorities of the BJP governments both at the Centre and in the States.

As reported in The Wire on October 4, the death toll in Nanded government hospital rose to 35 and another hospital in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad) district recorded 24 deaths in a matter of 24 hours. On the same day, The Live Nagpur reported that 25 people died within 24 hours in two government hospitals in Nagpur: Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) and Indira Gandhi Government Medical College and Hospital (IGGMC).

As per reports in the media, the reasons for these unprecedented numbers of deaths are lack of enough doctors and other staff, non-functioning of life-saving equipment, lack of hygiene and acute shortage of essential medicines and medical supplies. In the words of Nana Patole, the State Congress President, “The public health system in the state is suffering from the disease of corruption and the entire system is on ventilator”.

The Bombay High Court on 6th October pulled up the Maharashtra government by raising concerns over the condition of the public healthcare system in Maharashtra and said that the state cannot escape its responsibility and shift the burden on private hospitals. The court said that the system had to be “strengthened” with sufficient doctors and paramedical staff, medicines and equipment provided to government hospitals.

Not only Maharashtra but also many states in India have a public health system flawed with many deficiencies and drawbacks. First of all, the allocation for the public health sector in the budgets of all states put together is about 4.20 percent. This is very low compared to the budgetary provision in many developing countries. The central government’s budgetary allocation for health is also abysmally low. It was 2.1% of GDP in the financial year 2022-23. Even our neighbouring countries like Bangladesh and Pakistan have over 3%of their GDP going towards the public health care system. As a result, the health care system in India cannot cope with the needs of 140 crore people.

As in the case of education, the health care system in India also suffers from great disparities. There are many five-star and three-star private hospitals to cater to the rich, whereas many government hospitals where the bulk of the poor people go for treatment do not have the minimum facilities, personnel and medical supplies. It is a paradox that India is emerging as a hub of health care tourism, while a large majority of its people do not have access to basic health care facilities. While addressing a gathering at The Economic Times Healthcare Leaders’ Summit 2022, Dr. Jitendra Singh, Minister of State for Science and Technology, said that more than 10 lakh medical visas were issued to foreigners between 2019 and 2022. Like education, health care is also becoming a profit-oriented industry. In both sectors, the poor people are at the receiving end.

There is also a huge divide between the rural and urban areas with regard to health care facilities. Although about 69% of the population of India live in the rural areas, the proportion of doctors and nurses in rural areas are 34% and 33% respectively. Former President APJ Abdul Kalam had proposed an approach called PURA (Provision of Urban Amenities to Rural Areas) to reduce the divide between rural and urban areas. One among the amenities required in rural areas is health care facilities. In the absence of good hospitals in rural areas, people have to spend huge amounts of money to come to the cities for treatment.

If India could succeed in reducing its population and bringing it to replacement level fertility (Total Fertility Rate of about 2.1 children per woman is called Replacement-level fertility), it can also make available to its population basic health care facilities. What is required is prioritizing allocation of scarce resources to different sectors. Most of the federal governments in the past did not do justice to education and health sectors; the present government at the Centre and in many states also have not done justice to the health sector. It appears that some of their priorities are not in tune with the needs of people, but are intended to create vote banks by feeding to the emotions of the majority community.

The BJP governments both at the Centre and in the states have been spending lavishly on renewing and rebuilding temples, erecting statues, freebees for pilgrimages to pilgrim centres under the guise of encouraging tourism. As per an advertisement in Dainik Bhaskar Indore edition on 6th October, all over India 21 religious corridors are made and the largest number of 11 corridors are constructed in Madhya Pradesh. The following is the list of corridors in Madhya Pradesh.

•     Mahakal Lok in Ujjain: Rs. 850 cores
•    Hanuman Mandir Lok in Chhindwara: Rs. 314 cores
•    Sridevi Mahalok in Salkanpur: Rs. 358 cores
•    Ravidas Dham in Sagar: Rs. 100 cores
•    Pitambara Lok in Datia
•    Ramraj Lok in Orchha: 176 cores
•    Rampath Gaman Lok in Chitrakoot: Rs. 452 cores
•    Ahilyanagari Lok in Indore: 25 crores
•    Omkareshwar Lok in Omkareshwar: Rs. 2200 cores
•    Sani Lok in Gwalior
•    Naag Lok in Barwani

The advertisement in Dainik Bhaskar also highlighted that financial support was given by the MP government to 82,000 senior citizens for pilgrimage to different pilgrim centres in India. Some were given support to go by flight. Priests of 21,000 temples were given training by the government.

The fact that no political party, including the Congress, raised any question on the correctness of the government of a secular country spending thousands of crores of rupees for promoting a particular religion, shows that India is no more a de facto secular country. The civil society also has been largely silent on the government spending taxpayers' money for religious purposes, while the basic health and educational needs of people are not met. When winning elections becomes the top most concern of political parties, priorities are in reverse gear.

Along with politicization of religion, growth of religious fundamentalism is another reason for focus on wrong priorities. Fundamentalists in general are least concerned about democracy, pluralism, religious harmony, peace-keeping and free speech. Any liberal thought or approach is detested by the fundamentalists. In the context of India, individuals and organizations that support liberalism and humanism are often branded by the right-wing Hindutva groups as sicklarists and tukde tukde gang. Many activists, academics, journalists and lawyers who hold liberal and humanitarian views are put behind bars, being charged under the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The sixteen people arrested under the Bhima Koregaon case is a classic example of a government influenced by a right-wing religious ideology harassing and persecuting liberals and humanists. One of the sixteen, Fr. Stan Swami, is dead and some of them got bail and others are still languishing in jail.

None of the religions teach to hate people of other faiths. Forgiveness, sensitivity, and compassion are some of the core values taught by all religions. Unfortunately, the rise of fundamentalism distorted most of the religions of the world. Ritualism, legalism, dogmatism etc., replaced HUMANITY, the core of all religions. Religious figures like Mahavir, Buddha and Jesus Christ tried to bring humanity to the centre of religion. But the fundamentalist forces distorted and even weaponized their teachings in course of time. 

Hence there is a need for reinventing and rediscovering the essence of all religions -- spirituality based on humanity, and it is an ongoing process. Only then, religions will be able to challenge governments to give priority to the basic needs of people like food, shelter, education, health, efficient public transport etc., instead of spending the scarce resources of a country on building gigantic worship centres, erecting huge statues and organizing mega religious gatherings. Are the religious leaders ready for it?

Ultimately, people will have to challenge political parties to focus on governance and meeting the needs of the common people instead of investing money on bombastic projects which cater to a miniscule minority.