New Delhi: A new report Oxfam India The disproportionate impact of the second wave of COVID-19 on rural India was highlighted. The report said that as of May 2021, one out of every two cases was in rural areas, while 75% of cases in states like Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan were in rural areas.
The “Inequality Report 2021 – India’s Unequal Health Care Story” states that “India’s particularly devastating COVID-19 second wave exposed the weakness of the public health system.” Making a strong case for investment in health infrastructure, the report noted that “state governments with higher health spending had fewer confirmed cases of Covid-19. States like Odisha and Goa with high expenditure on health also had higher recovery rates. covid”
In addition to drawing on the various available national data sources and reports, oxfam A survey conducted by their teams at the end of 2020 reveals the shares. He covered 768 respondents from Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Kerala, Bihar and Odisha who were either suffering from COVID-19 or had recovered from it. The survey found that the percentage of low-income group respondents facing discrimination in the community for being COVID positive was five times higher than that of high-income groups.
Also more than 50% of the SCs and STs surveyed faced difficulties in accessing non-Covid medical facilities, compared to 18.2 per cent in the general category. The percentage of SCs using an unsafe source of water was three times the normal range for open wells and four times for open springs or streams.
Among female respondents, 33.9 per cent experienced anxiety, irritation and anger and lack of sleep during the lockdown, compared to 18.2% for men.
The report also highlights that “the second wave is characterized by infrastructure lapses, high hospital fees, drug black marketing, and a vaccination campaign that is not inclusive. In cities, this virus is affecting the middle and upper middle class more. On the other hand, the second wave has been harder for the rural masses than the first one.”
“Amidst all this, while India’s vaccination campaign attempted to tackle a second wave by vaccinating its population, its execution due to the lack of a vaccine and running on a mobile application made it accessible only to those who had access to the Internet. Or a smartphone,” it said.
The authors of the report state that in June 2021 itself, the Center reconsidered its vaccine policy. “While government-run centers are now only opening walk-in registrations, the vaccine strategy needs to be looked at critically from a gender lens to ensure that the digital divide and lack of information are accessible to women and other marginalized groups. There is no barrier to access to vaccines for ,” it is repeated.
The report points out that a year after the pandemic, in the Union Budget for 2021-22, Ministry of Health Total was allotted INR 76,901 crore, a decline of 9.8% over the revised estimates of 2020-21 from Rs 85,250 crore.
Oxfam India CEO Amitabh Behar said, “The persistent lack of public health system in India, especially primary health care and inadequate health infrastructure, is yet to be addressed by the government even after the disastrous second wave. Otherwise, health emergencies will only exacerbate existing inequalities and serve as a disadvantage to the poor and marginalized. Declaring health a constitutional right can help bridge these
interval.”
Angela Taneja, Head of Inequality, Health and Education, Oxfam India said that “the current health status of the country is a testament to the unfulfilled dream of ‘.health for all‘. The right to the highest attainable health is far from being achieved. A year later in the pandemic and even after facing two COVID-19 waves, the Indian government has reiterated its failure to allocate 2.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) for health. ”
The “Inequality Report 2021 – India’s Unequal Health Care Story” states that “India’s particularly devastating COVID-19 second wave exposed the weakness of the public health system.” Making a strong case for investment in health infrastructure, the report noted that “state governments with higher health spending had fewer confirmed cases of Covid-19. States like Odisha and Goa with high expenditure on health also had higher recovery rates. covid”
In addition to drawing on the various available national data sources and reports, oxfam A survey conducted by their teams at the end of 2020 reveals the shares. He covered 768 respondents from Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Kerala, Bihar and Odisha who were either suffering from COVID-19 or had recovered from it. The survey found that the percentage of low-income group respondents facing discrimination in the community for being COVID positive was five times higher than that of high-income groups.
Also more than 50% of the SCs and STs surveyed faced difficulties in accessing non-Covid medical facilities, compared to 18.2 per cent in the general category. The percentage of SCs using an unsafe source of water was three times the normal range for open wells and four times for open springs or streams.
Among female respondents, 33.9 per cent experienced anxiety, irritation and anger and lack of sleep during the lockdown, compared to 18.2% for men.
The report also highlights that “the second wave is characterized by infrastructure lapses, high hospital fees, drug black marketing, and a vaccination campaign that is not inclusive. In cities, this virus is affecting the middle and upper middle class more. On the other hand, the second wave has been harder for the rural masses than the first one.”
“Amidst all this, while India’s vaccination campaign attempted to tackle a second wave by vaccinating its population, its execution due to the lack of a vaccine and running on a mobile application made it accessible only to those who had access to the Internet. Or a smartphone,” it said.
The authors of the report state that in June 2021 itself, the Center reconsidered its vaccine policy. “While government-run centers are now only opening walk-in registrations, the vaccine strategy needs to be looked at critically from a gender lens to ensure that the digital divide and lack of information are accessible to women and other marginalized groups. There is no barrier to access to vaccines for ,” it is repeated.
The report points out that a year after the pandemic, in the Union Budget for 2021-22, Ministry of Health Total was allotted INR 76,901 crore, a decline of 9.8% over the revised estimates of 2020-21 from Rs 85,250 crore.
Oxfam India CEO Amitabh Behar said, “The persistent lack of public health system in India, especially primary health care and inadequate health infrastructure, is yet to be addressed by the government even after the disastrous second wave. Otherwise, health emergencies will only exacerbate existing inequalities and serve as a disadvantage to the poor and marginalized. Declaring health a constitutional right can help bridge these
interval.”
Angela Taneja, Head of Inequality, Health and Education, Oxfam India said that “the current health status of the country is a testament to the unfulfilled dream of ‘.health for all‘. The right to the highest attainable health is far from being achieved. A year later in the pandemic and even after facing two COVID-19 waves, the Indian government has reiterated its failure to allocate 2.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) for health. ”
.