Some of the COVID¬19 mortality was avoidable

Context:  Neglect of health in public policy had led to varying death rates across states in India.

Reasons for varying death rate across states during COVID-19     

• Difference in public expenditure on health: the health spend of the richer states in relation to their domestic product is lower than that of the poorer States.
• For E.g. Mortality rate in North East India is much lower than the rest of India due to high public expenditure on health.
• Varying commitment levels of health care professionals: Death rate is more dependent on the work of health care professionals rather than on medical infrastructure in the public sector.
• Difference in the way of fighting the pandemic: due to lack of adequate funding which would result in poor detection, contact tracing and isolation.
• Unique characteristics associated with some states: Characteristics that would enable to reduce the death rate from COVID-19
• Governance challenge: Other issues like air pollution will remain even after the pandemic due to poor public policy interventions. E.g. Air pollution in Delhi based on stubble burning and rampant construction activities.

Way Forward

• Increase public expenditure on health.
• Prioritise health over growth.
• Public policy interventions with ethical awareness: Rather than using public funds to stop stubble burning, the polluter pays principle should be enforced.

Conclusion: Economic policy that prioritises growth can lead to environmental damage, and a political process without ethical awareness cannot confront it at its source.