Healthcare in India unjust, uneven: Alva

BANGALORE: Governor of Uttarakhand Margaret Alva, expressed her dissatisfaction about the healthcare scenario in the country, calling it ‘unjust’ and ‘uneven.’Speaking at the valedictory function of quas-quicentennial year (125) of St Marthas Hospital in the city on Friday, she said, “The healthcare scenario in the country today is not very encouraging. Public healthcare has been facing a serious decline due to non-availability of adequate medical personnel and services.”The Governor remarked that the trend of doctors and nurses leaving the country after their training was worrisome. “I believe that one year’s rural service for all medical functionaries must be made compulsory, before they get their degrees,”  she said.“There is an unjust and uneven distribution of medical facilities. Corruption and indifference in government departments has led to misuse and siphoning away of crores of rupees allotted by the Centre for health programmes,” rued Alva. Further, she was cynical about the public-private partnership (PPP) model in the healthcare system,  calling its results ‘not encouraging.’