Strengthening Healthcare in Rural India: Covid-19

Unlike the first wave, the Covid-19 pandemic has spread its tentacles deep into rural India during the second wave. Out of 734 districts of the country, 533 districts have reported a test positivity rate of more than 10 per cent. The situation is very alarming as healthcare facilities in rural India are highly inadequate. Thus, loss due to pandemic in the country will be much higher if the lethal virus spreads further into villages. There is an urgent need to enhance proper healthcare facilities in affected districts and localities. There should be adequate number of doctors, health workers, Oxygen cylinders and related medicines. At the same time, arrangements for random tests to detect infected persons, should be done more widely. All these tasks should be done on a war footing because any delay in containing the spread of coronavirus in rural India will make the pandemic situation even more unmanageable.

Unless the current deplorable situation is rectified in rural India lack of medical facilities will force the populace living there to move towards the cities to get treatment at a time when healthcare facilities in cities are on the brink of collapse. There are not enough beds to accommodate patients. Oxygen supply is badly hit and there are not enough vaccines too. So, merging of the rural and urban population will definitely cause a new catastrophe. Proper healthcare must be provided in the outskirts as soon as possible to avoid such a situation.

As per government statistics, the number of villages with more than 10 per cent of positivity rate is highest in five states, namely Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Bihar. 30 districts in each of the five states have shown an upward trend in positivity rate. In 16 other states, the situation has been termed as alarming. State Governments should keep a close watch on the situation and reach out to the rural residents who have been discriminated against since Independence, devoid of the fruits of developments. Containing the pandemic in rural India is going to be the true test of ability for state governments.

Sensing the danger, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already urged state governments to alert district administrations about the impending danger. To check the preparedness, the Prime Minister has also called for a meeting with the District Magistrates (DMs) and invited Chief Ministers of several states too in the said meeting. One can only hope that the meeting will be able to prepare a proper blueprint to tackle the pandemic effectively. Required thrust should be provided to enhance healthcare facilities in rural India so that India can emerge victorious against Covid-19.