I would like to speak about the recent heart-wrenching Gorakhpur tragedy .

As
you may know the deaths of children on 10 and 11 august at BRD hospital in
Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh has given a great jolt to the country.
Over 30 children died within a span of 48 hours at the hospital. According
to initial reports, many of the children died because their oxygen supply
was cut off as the hospital hadnt paid its dues to the supplier.

Investigators have found that the hospital staff wilfully did not maintain the
record of purchase of oxygen cylinders. There are multiple instances of
overwriting in the stock book of oxygen cylinder at the BRD hospital. The
probe report has reportedly charged the doctors, paramedical staff and
clerks of the medical institution with criminal negligence.
I believe this to be a total failure of governance on the part of hospital and
civic administration.

This is in equal parts tragic, shameful and outrageous. But what is perhaps
more galling is that what happened in Gorakhpur was neither the first nor
may it be the last. It isnt merely about oxygen cylinders and unpaid billsit
is a symptom of many deeper problems.

At the top of the list is Indias abysmally low public spending on healthcare.
That at least partly explains why the countrys healthcare system is in a
shambles. Another problem with Indias healthcare system is acute
shortage of medical professionals. The third problem is that a vast majority
of people do not have adequate health insurance in a country where the
public health system has collapsed.

The real question to ask is: will these childrens death galvanize the people
to demand that their leaders fix the countrys broken healthcare system?
Will it force the politicians to make healthcare a serious campaign
platform? Will it make the administration to be more accountable? This
questions better be answered before the next melancholic tragedy strikes
again.