Free Medicare ?
Free medicare has been a ubiquitous social issue trending on social media and journalism for a decade now, both in India and the US. But the question persists in the current pandemic climate that if Obamacare sufficed in curbing the ever-escalating doom of the contagion.
Clearly, the right to medicines and prolonging life by obviating the contagion of diseases is the right of every human being because it concerns one’s sense of self-preservation and is also tied to other aspects such as family and money. This makes for a good case for absolutely free medical care. This, in turn, is further emphasised by the skyrocketing costs that people availing medicine and hospital care incur, in the event of any ailment or a check-up thereof.
While the contradicting opinions on the issues continue, it is better to go for a realistic assessment of the situation. A middle-ground helps wherein the state can be easy on its financial disbursement to the health sector at least for the old age people and the newly born ones. Alongside addressing the gerontological and neo-natal care, the government must also allocate financial resources for life-threatening diseases like cancer and aids which continue to plague our generation. A record number of people die due to the high cost or unavailability of quality vaccine which needs to be addressed by roping in the pharmaceutical giants. Meanwhile, research needs to be heavily funded for maintaining a health analysis of the demography to address future lapses. The formulation of policies and financial distribution on the basis of the on-ground research needs to be fully implemented in all strata of the society, not just in urban agglomerations and their satellite towns, resulting in the a trickle-down of the benefits to even the remotest of the villages.
In a similar vein, the free medical care may be targeted at the potentially vulnerable groups like women, children and the senior citizens. The state must ensure safeguards and disallow the politics of big pharma to spoil its aims and objectives to bring quality healthcare to every doorstep. The ambit of health and medicine needs to be widened by including mental health as an issue that needs to be addressed on a priority basis. Non-payment of medical needs extends to the availability of maternity nurses and aide. Besides addressing the medical issues within the country’s borders, the spirit of doctors-sans-frontiers needs to be strengthened by forming international alliances for the availability of medical staff and institutional care for foreign patients.