– some connections and solutions
Dr. P K Sasidharan
Recently only we heard of an adolescent boy killing five of his relatives for some money. When something went wrong a few plus two students ganged up and killed their colleague recently. Everyone is talking about how to reform the society because of the increasing violent behaviours among children and young adults. The stories of a boy who killed another boy presuming him as his enemy, or someone killing his girlfriend when she said no to their friendship, or someone going to any extent of violence to get some money, often for procuring drugs, or they cannot tolerate uncertainties in life and commit suicide. Crime rates and suicides are on the increase everywhere. The popular movies made recently, depicts violence with finer details, attracting applause and huge crowd. Violence and crime is becoming everyday news now. Every day, the newspaper headlines are filled with news on criminal behaviours among children and adolescents. We have started seeing large volumes of write ups and videos expressing concerns on the issue who all are giving vivid descriptions of the happenings, their own theories on these and they went on to write at length on the symptoms and signs of the issues, but seldom discussed lasting solutions.
How to solve this vexing problem is the burning question everywhere. luckily in the Kerala assembly recently, both ruling and opposition parties came together in order to sort out this problem- it is a welcome sign. All social problems should be solved by collaborative approaches only. The opposition parties whether right, left or centre, should stop criticising everything that the government does. If anyone makes a criticism, it should be creative and should give the alternative solutions along with that. Those who criticise for the sake of it, without suggesting solutions are a social nuisance. We need to have two or three groups only till elections are over; after that in assembly they should sit together and discuss creative ideas on how we can build a healthy and efficient society. Opposition is not for opposing every move of the government, instead meant to criticise decisions and give alternative viable solutions. They should never ever waste time discussing private lives and secret lives of the opponents. Since the social problems are the same, irrespective of which party is ruling, they should all come together and discuss solutions and stop wasting time criticising each other on silly issues. They need to remember the golden principle, ‘those who raise problems should come out with solutions as well’.
I have seen numerous write ups regarding the vexing problem of increasing crimes, suicides, accidents and increasing diseases by well-meaning doctors, social workers, thinkers, journalists, teachers and artists. But unfortunately they all end up giving vivid descriptions on what went wrong or what happened but no one is coming out with creative, lasting permanent solution to the problems they discuss. In one sentence I would like to assert that all these are happening due to several unmet social health needs in our society.
At the root of all these, if you go deep into the issues, there is extreme degree of self-centeredness among all these individuals and they all are made to believe that money is above everything. It is also very clear that they have unknowingly developed a lack of concern for the fellow students or fellow human beings. They lack humanness or compassion. To most people involved in these, there is nothing more important than money, this culture has come from USA, since dollar is the God for most of them. The American influence, culture and outlook is changing the world, especially for India; it has changed us and we are now working to make a disaster very soon by copying USA as a role model. The dominant American culture, as depicted by Donald Trump and followers, has gripped India, it is high time we get out of this vicious cycle between money and crime.
Let us take a look at Scandinavian countries, they have imbibed all the goodness from everywhere, their education system is the best, their primary education is the best, their primary school teachers are the best teachers and are the most respected people. Their primary health care is the best, their best doctors are into primary health care, their disease burden is very low. Both primary health care and primary education are completely under the government with no opportunities for private players. In short the most crucial point is that the best teachers must be into primary education and best doctors must be into primary health care. Their primary teachers instil humaneness and the primary care doctors nurture humaneness in the society. As a result of all these, their children are transformed into good human beings and humaneness and compassion are in built in them and expressed all throughout their life. Their crime rates are the lowest in the world, the prisons are being closed down because there is no need for many prisons. Their hospitals are not overcrowded, not because of low population or because they have large numbers of hospitals everywhere. The hospitals are not overcrowded because of low disease burden and efficient primary care. The percentage of people requiring hospital visits are far less than ours. Crime rates, suicides and accidents are the lowest in these countries. Because of these they are very much upset about occasional suicides, crimes and accidents in those countries and people there make huge noise when such isolated events occur and we happen to listen to the noise only and presume that they are also not behind us in crimes and suicides. No one can stop all diseases , all crimes and all accidents, but we can prevent most of them. Because they do not have such problems they are upset and they make noise about this. From their loud expression of concern on suicides in Finland, which is shown as the happiest country in the world, our people would say that in spite of the happiest country why people are committing suicide there? We have countless numbers of diseases, suicides, crimes and accidents and we do not find time to discuss on prevention in the parliament and other similar bodies.
Besides crimes, suicides and accidents, all diseases are multiplying in India and we are always busy building super speciality hospitals and medical colleges ignoring public health and primary health care and lament on increasing health problems and health expenditures. The focus is on investigations and treatment alone that too on genomics and complicated surgeries and less on ordinary issues. Some arm chair doctors who do not do any clinical work or have lost touch with realities and are misguiding the decision makers.
Therefore the solutions to the vexing problems anywhere in the world reside in instilling humanness in every child with well organised primary education and nurturing humanness with well organised primary health care. We have to reform the primary education so that every child coming out after primary education would be good human beings with concern for others with humane values, and having scientific attitudes. The next most important step lies in having large numbers of friend philosopher and guide kind of primary care doctors connecting well with people, nurturing the already instilled humanness and scientific thinking, and modifying their lifestyle and behaviours. These doctors would be working in the society and hence have great influence over every individual and families and will certainly work for building a healthy society with lesser disease burden, lesser crimes and having cost effective medical treatment and focussing on health and wellness at the microenvironments. Both primary education and primary health care should be under direct government control and supervision of the governments with very little opportunities for private players to make profit out of these two. That is the only lasting solution for the present crisis. But ignorant fools only would recommend to the government saying that present MBBS training will make them competent primary care doctors. if we start acting now may be after twenty years things will settle down but if we are looking for immediate solutions, it will only be an eyewash. Therefore let us come together start thinking of the future; let us build a strong base for a healthy society. Let us work for a better India, a better world. Let us reform primary education and primary health care; let the primary school teachers and primary care doctors be the most respected and most well paid citizens to reform this dying society.
I am upset about some influential persons ignoring these two vital issues and talking superficially about trivial and immediate solutions. Some influential arm chair doctors do not recognise the urgent need to train MBBS doctors to make them competent, confident and independent primary care doctors who will be the torch bearers for health and wellness, clinical skill and foundation for scientific medical practice.
Increasing Crimes, Suicides, Accidents & Increasing Diseases
