Cost Efective

HEALTH CARE IN INDIA IS NO LONGER AFFORDABLE. APART FROM REVIVING THE PUBLIC HEALTH SECTOR, THE GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO WORK ON OUT-OF-THE-BOX IDEAS TO TACKLE THE CRISIS.

- Namita Kohli

Until early this year, the Kumars of East Delhi had hoped the dark days were behind them. After her husband died of cancer a few years ago, Misro Devi, a homemaker, and her two sons had struggled to make ends meet. But soon, both her sons had got jobs as office boys. Though their earnings were meagre, Aneer and Pawan were confident of turning things around. Pawan had also started making money on the side by acting in ‘ramlilas’.

But, an “occasional headache” put an end to their hopes of a better future.

Initially, the family brushed aside Pawan’s headaches. “We thought it was because he worked so hard, and went for his performances that lasted through the night. So we would give him painkillers and he would be fine,” recalls Misro Devi.

Six months ago, however, the pain had moved from his head to the shoulders, lower back and the groin. “At one point, the pain became unbearable, and I had to quit my job,” says a soft-spoken Pawan, as he sits up weakly in his bed. After a battery of tests at several hospitals in the city, Pawan was diagnosed with a kidney disorder. “Both his kidneys are not functioning well,” says a misty-eyed Misro Devi. “Doctors at AIIMS [All India Institute of Medical Sciences] say they need to replace at least one of his kidneys. Since we are unable to find the exact match for him, doctors say the costs of the transplant will be higher.”

Aneer makes about ₹7,000 a month, which, says Misro, who lives with her sons in a one-room house, is just about enough to keep the kitchen fires burning and manage Pawan’s weekly medicines and injections that cost about 0800 when bought from a subsidised medicine store.