Issue of public health

Public health issue is a big problem among the problems of the country, which is discussed upon every now and then among experts and government institutions. The bad situation of public health is analyzed and different reasons are mentioned for that. Poverty and insufficiency named as a very big reason. Poor communities generally lack the urban facilities. Tidyness and the sewerage of waster water facility either does not exists there or inadequate. It is the same case in rural communities. Sound farmers and rich people get good medical treatment going to cities, buy costly medicine too but for poor and labourers it is not possible to do. Like wise some other reasons for lowering the standard of public health are mentioned. But now a health expert denoted a very fundamental reason. And that is the cast system of this country means forming and setting up lower and higher casts based on the birth and on that basis establishing an entire society which is called Hindu samaj. This health expert is Professor A.K.S.Jacob who is an official of the medical college faculty of the chritian college of Vellore.

Where is the origin of cast system

Professor Jacob says that because under the cast system a huge population is declared as low and thus the behaviour of higher casts is inhuman with them. Since a large portion of this population is poor and needy, that is why they live in huts and dirty communities where no medical facilities are available. (The Hindu 22nd August) Professor wrote in the preface of the essay of his article, "Cast system is generally known with reference to Hinduism, but this exists among Christians, Sikhs and Muslims as well." This is not true in case of Muslims. There is no denial that few so called higher cast Muslims, with the communities based upon the professions and work, discriminate socially but it is not of the type which exists in society of the majority. The fundamental difference is that in Hindu society this social discrimination has the approval by religion where as in Muslim society this thing is against the Islamic teachings. Means if any individual or family in Hindu society does not practice the tradition of dicrimination , then they will be disobeying the religion and would be called sinful. Contrary to that if any one practice this in Muslim society he will be the culprit of acting against the teachings of Islam.

There is another aspect of this system

Anyway the topic of the debate is the bad situation of the public health, of which the fundamental reason Professor Jacob says is the cast system, and he is right. He argued with the evidences as under this system how bad is the situation of isolated population, the effect of every political, social and communal event is much more on these communities. But Professor ignored another aspect of the topic or he might not have thought about that. And that is the behaviour of the founders of this cast system with those humans who are outside that social system. Means the religious minorities specially the muslim "minority" which in the dharm of "majority" is called maleech. Where ever they find opportunity they behave with the muslim community the same way they do with shooders since centuries. The recent example is of Gujrat. In Ahmedabad and other cities and in some rural areas the samples of their cold-bloodedness can be seen. All efforts are made that the basic facilities do not reach muslim communities and they remain dirty and unclean and they appear so. So now those experts who denote the cast system responsible for the worsening situation of public health , how will they overcome this aspect ?
04/09/09 khabar-O-Nazar by Parwaaz Rahmani, sehrozaDAWAT, translated by: Ibrahim Shaikh