What price health?

This refers to the editorial, ‘The right prescription’ (October 6). The editorial has correctly analysed the vast changes that have taken place in the healthcare sector. There has been a high growth in the drug manufacturing and marketing area, the number of private medical practitioners and laboratories have risen, and costs have shot up phenomenally.

Patients prefer speciality doctors; given the high cost of PG medical education, the fees charged by private practitioners have risen considerably. The cost of medical attention in private hospitals is prohibitive. Similarly the cost of drugs also has risen considerably.

Therefore, if any changes are sought to be made, all these factors have to be considered. Para-medical services need to paid some attention. If there is to be a law to bring about changes, the expert committee must go into all aspects of the issue of healthcare.

TR Anandan

Coimbatore

When there is an unnecessary x-ray taken, which is unnecessary radiation for the patient, it is not just money being wasted but health getting affected because of the radiation. But who cares for the patient? Money is everything in the medical services value chain.

The government needs to regulate the healthcare sector so that there are quality human resources across the value chain. There is no transparency even in planned treatments and surgeries. Hospitals charge what patients can bear; this needs to change. As the private sector provides more than half our healthcare needs, the government should ensure transparency in charges for procedures, surgeries and treatments. In Delhi, it was reported that people were forced to pay ₹90,000 for dengue treatment, in spite of which the affected child died.

CR Arun

Email

Spare the small people

It is good to see that the total tax receipts from black money declared during the window is ₹2,448.2 crore and it may further rise due to the concerted efforts to unearth the rest. This is the right time to scrap the TDS on interest on fixed deposits which will facilitate the middle class and low salaried to be compensated for the reducing interest rates on deposits.

Let the I-T department find ways to bring more taxpayers into the tax orbit and recover taxes from evaders; leave the small people from this TDS burden. There is every likelihood that interest rates on deposits may further fall because the corporates are not satisfied with the present small reduction in the base rate and may exert pressure to further reduce them in which case the rates on deposits may again drop. Hence the government should seriously give a thought to remove TDS on interest on bank deposits.

TSN Rao

Bhimavaram, Andhra Pradesh

Live and let live

In ‘The new contours of cultural conflict’ by Narendar Pani (October 5), the writer has eloquently described the dangers of imposing a unitary culture in a diverse country such as India. This country was destined to be a melting pot of different cultures. Unless people learn to celebrate diversity, we will remain in a state of constant tension. One language, religion, culture or dietary habit cannot be made synonymous with Indian identity. People should learn to live and let live.

The reason why people deny caste prejudice is that the upper middle class elites who live in walled townships and cosmopolitan housing societies are largely ignorant of ground realities; their denial is a result of that ignorance, rather than an insidious cover-up. Also, I would disagree that Gandhi was an enemy of the city. He was a friend of the village, but that doesn’t make him an enemy of the city.

Soumyakanti Chakraborty

Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh

Protect yourself

While sexual crimes continue to get reported, they hardly goad women to protect themselves. Self-defence measures such as learning martial arts or carrying a pepper spray are never heeded by the victims. It’s easy to make somebody a scapegoat; it boils down to individuals to mind their own safety.

R Prabhu Raj

Bengaluru

Three share Nobel

This is with reference to the news report ‘Three share Nobel for parasite-fighting drugs’ (October 6). Although I am happy for the Nobel prize winners, the first thing that comes to my mind is why India is lagging behind in innovations and inventions. One of the most important reasons is that our education system does not encourage innovation and research. We believe in a system where a child’s intelligence is judged by the marks he has secured in various exams. Research and innovative ideas should be encouraged at the school level. Dedicated and good teachers are a prerequisite for this. Secondly, the lack of government support for research and innovations also puts constraints on talent. Our leaders mostly believe in short-term gains and hence are not able to tap the potential of innovators and scientists, nor invest in research and technology. Let the government call a special meeting of experts from various fields and start a new body to encourage innovations/research in all the fields of life.

Thirdly due to lack of government support and other hurdles, many of our scientists/engineers are migrating to foreign lands. Why not the government call these scientists back to India offering various facilities and encourage innovation and research? Fourthly, our Prime Minister should prove that he is different from his contemporaries and call a meeting of experts in different fields under his personal supervision and prove to the world that India is not far behind in inventions and innovations. Finally, if we want development, economic growth and employment opportunities for the millions of youth of the nation we cannot go about with age-old methods. There is no dearth of talent in India, but a giant push is required to tap this talent.

Veena Shenoy

Thane, Maharashtra

Shameful, indeed

Yet another gang rape, this time of a 22-year-old BPO employee by two men in a moving van, should make us hang our heads in shame. The incident goes to show that our streets are not safe for women after dusk. The growing incidences of sexual assault on young women should make the authorities initiate stringent measures to protect them. It is also imperative that women take simple safety precautions and do not venture out alone after dark and use public transport or the company's vehicle for commuting. What is unfortunate is that the victim threw caution to the winds and chose to board a Tempo Traveller that had only the driver and the cleaner, despite the warning from a friend.

NJ Ravi Chander

Bengaluru

An eye-opener

The ‘All You Wanted to Know About’ column (‘The future of diesel vehicles’ by Meera Siva, October 6) is an eye-opener. The column is a warning against the impending danger of a high consumption diesel-based economy. Moreover, WHO has declared diesel the class-1 carcinogenic. Additionally, diesel in comparison to petrol, is the highest emitter of sulphur-related compounds in the atmosphere. Sulphur-related compounds cause respiratory illness, smog, visibility illness and aggravate existing heart illness.

However, the current diesel-based public transport cannot be changed or stopped overnight. The solution lies in finding mitigation technologies. The government should start with blending diesel with biodiesel to improve emission quality. Simultaneously, new diesel vehicles should be discouraged through differential taxation and green credits. These efforts should be supplemented with public campaigns and investment in research related to clean technologies. Moreover, these efforts should be coupled with strict vehicular pollution check. The danger of pollution is latent, and society cannot afford to neglect it.

Naveen Agrawal

Puducherry

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