Nandan Kuthiala
The expected Carnage in India due to COVID 19 in the last 8 weeks, has fortunately so far been well below the forecasts and predications of the experts, especially those from the Western countries. Seeing the ravage and destruction in European countries and in the USA this itself is a remarkable feat.
Just consider the odds stacked up against India in its battle against COVID 19.
The population of India at 1350 million is more than the combined population of North America and Europe which is around 1225 million. India’s population is nearly double of the combined population of 51 countries in Europe. The population of 54 countries in African continent is around 1340 million which is just 10 million more than India’s population. In fact our population is 4 times more than that of USA, which is around 331 million.
With a land area of around 2% of the world’s land mass, we have around 16.5% of the world’s population. By comparison the land area of USA is 6.1% of the total land mass and that of Europe is 6.6%. In fact at 6.3%, China supports a similar population on a land mass which is three times bigger. Continental Africa supports a similar population with a land mass which is 10 times more than India. These figures amplify the incredibly high density of population in India and which makes the task of fighting a highly contagious disease like COVID 19 very tough.
The dismal state of the Medical facilities and infrastructure pan India, especially in the rural areas is a well-known fact. As per who the number of hospital beds in a country per 1000 people is given below.
1. JAPAN 13
2. KOREA 12
3. GERMANY 8
4. FRANCE 6
5. UK 3.5
6. USA 3.4
7. INDIA 0.5
The ratio of doctors to population again in the case of India is very poor and needs no elaboration. Also the priority of nearly 25% of the population which is below the poverty line is survival, food, shelter, clothing, money and jobs. Expecting them to have Civic Sense and Social Responsibility is not practically nor possible.
Inspite of all the above mentioned drawbacks and negatives, COVID 19 Team India has done a remarkable job so far. No doubt our testing rate is on the lower side, but unlike some countries , the number of deaths in India cannot be kept under wraps. With the number of deaths due to COVID 19 below 8000, as of the Second week of June, this itself is an remarkable feat when compared to the havoc in the OECD countries.
COVID 19 Team India is a term for all those who are fighting this disease on behalf of India. Doctors, Nurses, Medical workers, Police , Central & State Administrations, Armed forces, Essential Supply personnel & undertakings, Pilots , Railways the list goes On and On.
The total number of Indians who are Directly fighting the disease , would not be more than One Crore. This works out to less than 0.75% of our total population.
Churchill’s immortal quote ” Never was so much owed by so many to so few” aptly sums up the battle of COVID 19 Team India.
We owe it to them that we follow their guidelines and advisory. The battle is far from over and the Infection Increase curve is yet to flatten. Downward curve is still far away.
Seeing the odds , we the citizens of India salute all the members of Team India who are at the forefront of the war against COVID 19.
(The author is Trustee Jodhamal Public School)
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