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#WorldHealthDay: Five ways government can make India healthy

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Shehzad Poonawalla
Shehzad PoonawallaApr 07, 2015 | 18:22

#WorldHealthDay: Five ways government can make India healthy

It's ironic that just close to World Health Day, the debate in this country revolves around whether tobacco use, particularly in the form of cigarettes, causes cancer. It began with BJP MP and chairman of a parliamentary committee Dilip Gandhi saying there were no "Indian studies to link cancer to tobacco use". And then Beedi-baron and BJP MP Shyama Charan Gupta, who was also part of the panel in an obvious case of conflict of interest, rhetorically advocated a ban on sugar for causing diabetes, while defending his views on beedis not causing cancer.

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It seems then that we have we have taken one giant leap backwards when it comes to personal health care and fitness too, in addition to the bigger disappointment of the Narendra Modi-led government slashing public spending on health sector by nearly 20 percent in the 2014-15 Budget.

In an age where we face adverse health risks, particularly due to rapidly deteriorating environmental conditions, growing stress and unhealthy lifestyles, here is an agenda on personal health and fitness that the government should consider adopting. This is obviously in addition to the major overhauling we need to do as far as public health sector is concerned:

#1. Increase public health spending

Public health spending in India is about only 1 percent of our GDP compared to 3 per cent in China and 8.3 per cent in USA. Cutting spending in a country which has the kind of desperate poverty we have and forcing a mass of people towards expensive and unaffordable private health care is immoral, unconstitutional and inhuman.

#2. Ban cigarettes and air pollutants not meat, movies and free choice

Across the board, governments seem to have got their priorities wrong. The Maharashtra and Haryana governments supposedly want to extend the ban on beef to other meats (which is also an infringement of free choice). But these governments show no urgency in banning use of tobacco, gutka and cigarettes. Each year, India spends over 1.15 lakh crore to tackle diseases caused by tobacco - a Rs 40,000 crore industry.

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The central government too seems busy banning documentary films and restricting the movement of environmental activists, but does nothing against air polluting industries! We don't need rocket science to figure which lobbies are at work here, do we?

#3. Change mindsets towards exercise and personal fitness

I remember back in school, each time I made a mistake, I was asked to do "uthak baithaks" or run a few rounds. It was supposed to be a "punishment". This mindset seems to be prevailing even today where we view physical activity as a form of punishment. It also involves an issue of "dignity". In a country where a majority of people have to do manual, physical labour for earning their livelihood, why must we have this bias against physical activity? By labelling it as a punishment, we push millions of kids into thinking that physical activity is bad.

The outcome of such attitudes can be seen in the growing problem of obesity in the country and also in our below par performance in Olympics and sporting events. It is time that our educational syllabus reflected this change. Homes too must join in. Parents must use the umpteen examples of physical strength celebrated in our culture to educate children about the virtues of a strong body and mind. We must also respect manual work.

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As somebody who has trained and exercised from the age of 14, I can advocate its benefits through my own experience. Having lost my father when he was just 40, I have made an unwavering commitment to the fitness of body and soul. Stress, depression and obesity are the new age "silent" killers. Just 45 minutes a day towards this end can do wonders and give you a strong mind and body, which can overcome any challenge. In addition, I would also advocate yoga and other forms of traditional meditation and exercise.

#4. Include personal hygiene in Swachh Bharat Abhiyan

The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan was kicked off by PM Modi on Gandhiji's birthday. I saw many pictures of the PM with a broom. Many celebrities took up the cause too. Most of them didn't wear gloves and masks while handling garbage. A very important part of cleanliness is hygiene. Imagine if the PM himself did not wear gloves, how would the poor daily wage workers who pick up our filth have access to them? Shouldn't the PM have insisted on a structured approach that gives safai karamcharis the necessary dignity and tools, protecting them from unnecessary health risks

#5. Launch a "Sehat Abhiyan" along the lines of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan

The US has had a long history of the Presidents focusing on this subject of fitness, sports and nutrition. In fact, PM Modi's "good friend" Barack Obama has a President's Council dedicated to it. Governors of various states, notably Arnold Schwarzenegger, a film star and body-builder, who led California, have dedicated programs towards this end.

Our Sehat Abhiyan could borrow the agenda of driving healthy nutrition and lifestyle options as part of our everyday existence and particularly in school and college campuses through the media and social media, bring health experts together to chart out an implementable agenda of fitness in schools and workplaces and set out programs for the government.

Recently, Deepika Padukone spoke about her experience with depression. The Sehat Abhiyan could cover mental health as well and break the taboo surrounding this subject. We are clearly under-equipped when it comes to providing the right kind of support to those suffering from mental disorders.

Recently, I read about Nitin Gadkari's weight-loss surgery. Gadkari, a minister in the Union cabinet, is a self proclaimed "foodie". One sees many MPs smoke in the corridors of Parliament, even after we banned smoking in public places years ago. It is time that those who represent us set examples and lead our nation towards the road of fitness, healthy eating and personal hygiene. This won't solve our herculean problems in the public health sector. But it will be a good start to an issue that needs to be tackled at an individual level just as much as at the community level.

Last updated: April 07, 2015 | 18:22
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