Let’s politicise health | The Indian Express

Let’s politicise health | The Indian Express

Written by K. Sujatha Rao |Updated: June 27, 2019 4:55:18 am

The writer is former Union Health Secretary, Government of India.

Let’s politicise health

It is time the political leadership adopted a zero-tolerance policy to laxity in healthcare.

Muzaffarpur: Children showing symptoms of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) being shifted at a hospital in Muzaffarpur, Tuesday, June 18, 2019. More than 100 children have died in the district due to the disease. (PTI Photo)

As per media reports, 172 children have died in the space of three weeks in Muzaffarpur, Bihar. This is higher than the 122 deaths recorded in the 2014 outbreak. Clearly, no lessons seem to have been learnt. This is unacceptable and the media outrage is justified.