Opinions: Did we just lose?

It is rightly said that what you sow is what you reap; you cannot get mangoes from a weed even if you nourish it like a mango tree. I just find this saying a perfect fit in the current chaotic situation. You cannot expect a perfect, healthy, and quick-response system if you are not cultivating the same. And as a matter of fact, you cannot go on changing the entire system overnight. Yes, I am referring to the healthcare system of India.

Image from aljazeera.com

Even after 60 days of ruthless and strict lockdown, we are nowhere near flattening the COVID19 curve. We have more than 3 lakh of confirmed patients and more than 8000 people have lost their battle of life to this pandemic. The healthcare system now reveals the voids it has, as two out of three districts lack testing facilities, and patients even in the national capital are dying at hospital doors because they cannot get beds. All this, after packing up the poor working class into unhygienic and overcrowded isolation centers; forced to stand in never-ending queues to get food for their family. All this, after they somehow won the Battle of Thousand Kilometres. 

It is quite clear that the random policies of our Union Government to tackle this pandemic have failed. Depression in the economy, loss of employment, and break of the food supply chain depict what problems a common man has to face in the future. 

But still, I can see support in favor of the government that we couldn't have done any better. A superpower like America is petrified then what could we have done to tackle this. And I must say this; we could have done it in the best way possible.

When superpowers like Russia and America are struggling against this pandemic, there are countries like New Zealand, Spain, and Italy which are winning. New Zealand is now a COVID-free country.

Let's have a small comparison between the policies of the Indian government and New Zealand's government to tackle the pandemic. The reason why I chose New Zealand is because they both have some similarities in their policies.

 

New Zealand Prime Minister Mrs.Jacinda Ardern and Indian Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi on right.

Let us start from the beginning-

• Both New Zealand and India got their first coronavirus patients from China. But the reaction or I should say management of the government were poles apart. India suspended flight operations from China on January 31, a day after its first case was reported in Kerala. New Zealand banned the entry of travelers from China on February 3, 25 days before its first case. Only citizens and permanent citizens of NZ were allowed to enter the country from China.
• New Zealand sealed its national borders on March 15. Those entering the country had to stay in home quarantine for 14 days. India was also not far behind; we closed our borders on March 25, and also prescribed for 14 days home quarantine. But unlike NZ, it was grossly violated here.
• Both the countries went for the harsh lockdown around the same time. NZ had 205 cases back then and we had 519. When NZ enforced their total lockdown, only grocery stores, pharmacies, and gas stations were allowed to open. Vehicular movement was strictly prohibited. But there is a never-ending basic amenity list in India. Banks were open and people were regularly visiting them. Believe it or not, national banks like SBI did not allow any delay in their promotion and transfer-posting processes. Local vegetable markets were open as if there is nothing called a pandemic.
• NZ relaxed its lockdown from level-4 to level-3 on April 27. On April 28, NZ had 1472 confirmed cases and we were above the 30,000 mark.

It is quite obvious that making policies is not going to make things right. Proper planning and enforcement are equally important. India had to give relaxation just because there was no full-proof planning for the migrants. Following protocol is what made NZ a COVID-free country. As a matter of fact, New Zealand achieved one of the highest testing rates per million populations in the world. On the other hand, testing in India is a mystery that even Sherlock cannot solve.

There might be population differences between India (130+ Cr.) and New Zealand (50 L), but cities like Surat (45 L) and Ahemdabad have 10000+ confirmed cases till now.

 Yes, we could have done things in the best possible way if we had prioritized proper planning of the policies and their implementation rather than quick and mismanaged steps. We have all the resources that we need to tackle this pandemic. It's just that the one leading us does not know how to utilize it for humanity. So, till they learn how to tackle this pandemic, become ATMNIRBHAR and save yourself.

STAY SAFE! STAY AT HOME!