Dr. Alok Roy – Chair FICCI Health Services Committee & Chairman Medica Group of Hospitals
If the year 2020 was appalling because of the pandemic, then beginning April 2021 the skewed graph of rising number of patients in the second wave is a ruthless reminder that it is far from being over yet. In the last one year, the perception about healthcare workers and need for augmented focus towards investment in healthcare has underlined the need for affordable and accessible care. We must all consider that health is not a privilege it is a basic right! It is up to us, how we can make a difference in the lives of the needy. The theme for World Health Day 2021 is dedicated to ‘Building a Fairer, Healthier World for Everyone’ the World Health Organization (WHO) calls for urgent action to eliminate health inequities and mobilize action to attain better health for all and leave no one behind. As caregivers it should be our commitment to support communities by ensuring better yet accessible care without any biases where every human is treated with equal respect and attended with the finest panacea possible. The COVID-19 pandemic has had grave consequences for people already experiencing inequities. We must take forward the learnings forward that this pandemic has taught us. The yawning gap in addressing the root cause of depleting resources in primary healthcare is a primaeval concern and needs to be constrained to change the narrative. It is time to embrace every populace across the planet to ensure their well being and achieve equity in healthcare otherwise mankind is not equipped to withstand another pandemic in the long run. Healthcare must be for all and take into cognizance every citizen of this planet.
