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| Michael Moore should visit India |
| Tuesday June 9, 2009 |
| Michael Moore should have come to India too. All those who're wondering why I am saying this should watch his documentary <I>Sicko</I>. An aptly titled investigative report that looks into the lengths that insurance companies go to in order to ensure denial of health services to those who have paid heavy premium for health policies. In order to bring out the fallacies in the American system of health care he also travels to UK, France and Canada and discovers that these countries not just provide for their patients but also ensure a good life for their doctors and all this when the medical system works under a social set up. And these countries provide it for free. In fact in UK, if you pay for getting to the hospital, then you can claim reimbursement while in France, the government provides nannies for pregnant women. And yes, medical service is free there too. While watching the documentary, I was thanking God for not being in US, I was also ruing the fact that I was not in any of those three countries mentioned in the documentary. And then it struck me, hey, wasn't my country's health system under government control too? Then why the hell did I spent over Rs 10 lakh for my treatment after a road accident that left me badly injured. I pay taxes. There is no way I can evade that as I am a salaried individual whose every penny is tracked. Sadly, when it comes to availing my benefits, I cannot go to a government run hospital. They are in pathetic condition. And this is not hearsay, I have seen how dirty and filthy the hospitals are. How "care" is missing from the services that they are required to offer. You can manage to get good service if you are "connected." And even the most influential are scared to go to these hospitals. No wonder the CIC was asked for an explanation from AIIMS on why the hospital felt the need to call for a private surgeon to conduct his surgery. And then I pay a premium for my health insurance !!! I am not insured for a huge amount but I really wonder if a bigger amount would have helped. I was hit by a vehicle while standing on a roadside. It was late in the night and there was almost no traffic. I, along with my team, was standing behind our car and beneath a lamp post. The car was white in colour while I wore a blue shirt that could be seen from a distance. Yet, when it came to claims, the insurance company wanted to know if I was drunk at that time. I wasn't driving. I was the victim here!!! Thankfully for me, my company stood behind me and took care of everything. I wonder what would be happening to people who are not as lucky as me. It's the reason why I say, Michael Moore should have come to India and may be we would have made him feel better about his country's health system. |
Shailendra Mohan is a Principal Correspondent who has been with NDTV for four years. He has worked in the field for over seven years. Shailendra covers city happenings and crime stories and has a keen interest in news and happenings around the world.
