Lessons in Times of COVID
The week that went by, kept the media in a tizzy. They had finally something juicy to report, beyond the grim COVID numbers, that they could play in loop. The virus of the rich now had a religion too. Images were flashed with sinister music playing in the background. That’s the stuff journalists’ dreams are made of these days. They were back on familiar ground.
Then there was news of health care workers (HCWs) getting manhandled and spat upon. Now that sounded familiar too. Gaaliyan I can understand. It was the taaliyan and the thaaliyan that had been hard to believe. My faith in our country was redeemed. I did wonder for a while what if these healthcare workers just refused to report to work. What if they chose to stay at home and chose to watch the Ramayana and Mahabharata that is putting Netflix and prime out of business?
But that’s not what I had planned to talk. Because I have been told that doctors (and HCWs) should not be asking for ‘pity’. They are paid for their jobs and they have to do it. They chose their profession and theirs isn’t the only high-pressure job in the world. So well, never mind.
I would rather talk about the christening of all the front-line workers as corona warriors. And mind you, I didn’t coin it. It struck me as quite appropriate especially when one of my ex- students said that she may soon be ‘enlisted’ for COVID duty.
Since we have established that it’s a war, might as well let’s carry this analogy forward. When all this is over, let’s not throw away the lessons. Our country needs a practical and effective disaster management plan that goes beyond candles and claps. This isn’t the last time we’ll face a pandemic. It may sound ominous but who knows we might be (un)lucky to witness another one in our lifetime. Our health budgets and facilities for essential workers need to be bolstered. We need more government run facilities and I say that only because they are the first responders in any emergency like this.
Wartime or peacetime, our armies are always in a state of preparedness. Always in training. Our security budgets are paid attention to. Similarly, pandemic or not, shouldn’t our healthcare system be in a state of preparedness all the time? Shouldn’t our health budgets be in commensuration with the load that they bear? The reason we needed a lock down wasn’t just because of the virulence of the agent. It’s also because we are totally incapable to handle the numbers if God forbid it spread. We’ve been falling back on God’s mercy for far too long. About time, we get our priorities in place and ask the right questions.
Disclaimer: By comparing our soldiers with these essential workers I am in no way undermining the job of former. I have extreme respect for soldiers for what they do. Sadly, I have to keep repeating this because I don’t want to be trolled for what I didn’t say/mean. I would rather be bulldozed for what I said. That is something I will stand by.