‘Positives’ from the debris of Covid?
In an attempt to distill out the ‘positives’ from the debris of Covid, there are some big ideas that were executed seriously by the state for the first time, that need to be kept alive.
Sanjay Nagral
Jul 31, 2020, Mumbai Mirror
It’s not a landmark anyone should be proud of. India has reached 1.5 million Covid cases and Mumbai has crossed 1lakh. It’s clear from the antibody surveys that the actual numbers are much more. There are signs of waning but it’s hazardous to make premature predictions.
In a recent discussion, I was asked whether there is anything ‘positive’ in all this for Mumbai. I was stunned by the audacity of the question. It’s an old strategy to equalise ‘good’ with ‘bad’ news. And perhaps necessary for a disturbed populace. But it certainly set me thinking.
It was tempting to describe the several transient uplifting moments during the lockdown. The twittering of birds, the gorgeous sunsets and the fresh air quality. The cleaner beaches and even the sea changing colour. The unreal riot of colours in the sky for those who had the time to look.
One could also talk of the inspiring stories of individual heroism. People who went out of the way to help those in need. Those who helped patients for transport, migrants with food. Those who helped cremate or bury the departed. I have been part of an informal network which collected donations and procured thousands of PPEs and oxygen masks for healthcare workers across the city’s hospitals.
There were many less visible heroes. Those who braved the quarantine in harsh conditions. Ordinary people, who already live precarious lives, faced the situation with remarkable stoicism and resilience. Perhaps they had no choice. But social order was largely maintained.
Try telling all this to the families of those who died gasping for breath moving from one hospital to another. Those who spent weeks on aventilator. And those whose businesses were destroyed and livelihoods ripped apart. ‘Positive’ and ‘negative’ depends on whose perspective you look at it from.
The burden of positivity could distract from genuine introspection. If stock-taking is for changing the future, it needs a certain brutal honesty. I would pose the question as ‘are there any implementable lessons from the devastation that we could learn?’
If we care to notice, there are some big ideas that were executed seriously by the state for the first time, thanks to the overwhelming pressure of an almost existential crisis. These need to be distilled and kept alive. Here is an attempt at a list of sorts.
1. The political class can set aside its vote bank’s emotive issues and focus on governance. If we can achieve consensus on truncating the Ganesha festival, we can do a lot.
2. Healthcare is not about slogans, nor about flash-in-the-pan advances. It’s about access, triage, organisation and coordination, which can only be done by the state. The public health system is central to this, but will need to respond with improved hygiene, efficiency and outcomes.
3. The private sector is built around a revenue model which is compulsively focussed on returns and profits. It cannot be relied upon on its own to offer affordable care. It will have to be made accountable by the state.
4. It is resident doctors, nurses, ward boys, ayahs, public health workers who deliver care at the frontline. They need to be paid well and given recognition and dignity.
5. Under pressure, the state has the capacity to act firmly to regulate healthcare across both public and private sectors. Though late and half-hearted, it was possible to harness the private sector and cap costs.
6. It’s possible to create a centralised contact number which all citizens can dial for a bed in a medical emergency. If done years ago, it would have saved thousands of lives. Globally, all modern cities have such a system.
7. A lot of work and meetings can be effectively done online. This can decongest Mumbai’s traffic and in turn improve health.
8. Public health measures like handwashing are possible with a combination of campaign, peer pressure and monitoring.
9. The health of the city is inextricably linked with its slums and overcrowding. Affordable housing and sanitation are urgent.
Apologies for the oversimplification. There is nothing original in this list. One could have made it before Covid. It’s just that Covid is a rude reminder and there is now a wider interested audience. Moreover, this list is implementable. It has been in many countries.
Public memory is short. It’s convenient that way. As everyone retreats to their own worlds, it’s challenging to look beyond personal needs. The elite will go back to their gated world. It’s unfair to expect the poor with their precarious daily lives to take this burden. Has Covid created a critical group of citizens in the middle who can doggedly pursue these ideas for the sake of our future? That maybe the biggest ‘positive’ fallout of the pandemic, if one can use that term at all.