In the last article we saw the concerns expressed by
thinkers Why such situation? What are the
factors that are responsible for such a problem? We shall try to have a glance at
some trouble mongers (they are only a few among lot many).
With sincere apologies to several honest professionals, let
us see some major malpractices in the health service at home and abroad
(excerpts from published data)
A)
Medical service (India)
New Delhi, Sept 10: A renowned physician Dr. B M Hegde has shown
how a large number of doctors working in five-star hospitals shortchange (deal
unfairly to cheat) patients in order to keep their management happy and enrich
their own pockets. Here is what Dr. B M Hegde writes:
"Most
of these observations are either completely or partially true. Corruption
has many names, and one of civil society isn't innocent either. Professionals
and businessmen of various sorts indulge in unscrupulous practices. I
recently had a chat with some doctors, surgeons and owners of nursing homes
about the tricks of their trade. Here is what they said:
1) 40-60% kickbacks for lab tests.
2) 30-40% for referring to
consultants, specialists & surgeons.
When your friendly GP refers you to a specialist or surgeon, he gets 30-40%.
3) 30-40% of total hospital charges. If the
GP or consultant recommends hospitalization, he will receive kickback from the
private nursing home as a percentage of all charges including ICU, bed, nursing
care, surgery.
4) Sink tests. Some tests prescribed by
doctors are not needed. They are there to inflate bills and commissions. The
pathology lab understands what is unnecessary. These are called "sink
tests"; blood, urine, stool samples collected will be thrown.
5) Admitting the patient to
"keep him under observation". People go to cardiologists feeling unwell
and anxious. Most of them aren’t really having a heart attack, and
cardiologists and family doctors are well aware of this. They admit such safe
patients, put them on a saline drip with mild sedation, and send them home
after 3-4 days after charging them a fat amount for ICU, bed charges, visiting
doctors’ fees.
6) ICU minus intensive care. Nursing
homes all over the suburbs are run by doctor couples or as one-man-shows. In
such places, nurses and ward boys are 10th class drop-outs in ill-fitting
uniforms and bare feet. These "nurses" sit at the reception counter,
give injections and saline drips, perform ECGs, apply dressings and change
bandages, and assist in the operation theatre.
At night, they even sit outside the Intensive Care Units; there is no resident
doctor. In case of a crisis, the doctor -- who usually lives in the same
building -- will turn up after 20 minutes after nurse calls him. Such ICUs
admit safe patients to fill up beds.
7) Unnecessary cesarean
surgeries and hysterectomies. Many surgical procedures are done to keep
the cash register ringing. cesarean deliveries and hysterectomy (removal of
uterus) are high on the list.
8) Cosmetic surgery
advertised through newspapers. Liposuction and plastic surgery are not
minor procedures. Some are life-threateningly major. But advertisements make
them appear as easy as facials and waxing. The Indian medical council has
strict rules against such misrepresentation. But nobody is interested in
taking action.
9) Indirect kickbacks from doctors to
prestigious hospitals. To be on the panel of a prestigious hospital, there
is give-and-take involved. The hospital expects the doctor to refer many
patients for hospital admission. If he fails to send a certain number of
patients, he is quietly dumped. And so he likes to admit patients even when
there is no need.
10) "Emergency surgery" on dead body. If a surgeon
hurriedly wheels your patient from the Intensive Care Unit to the operation
theatre, refuses to let you go inside and see him, and wants your signature on
the consent form for "an emergency operation to save his life", it is
likely that your patient is already dead. The "emergency operation"
is for inflating the bill; if you agree for it, the surgeon will come out 15
minutes later and report that your patient died on the operation table. And
then, when you take delivery of the dead body, you will pay OT charges
etc.
(As
per WIKI: Belle Monappa Hegde often abbreviated as B.
M. Hegde is an Indian medical scientist,
educationist and author. He
is a retired Vice Chancellor of the Manipal University and the
head of the Mangalore Chapter of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. He has authored several books on medical practice
and ethics. He is also the Editor in
Chief of the medical journal, Journal. He
was awarded the Dr. B. C. Roy Award in 1999. In
2010 He was honored with a Padma Bhushan, one
of India's highest civilian awards.)
B) How Corrupted Drug Companies Deceive and Manipulate Doctors (U.S.A.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_Oc2xElvL4.
Dr. Beatrice Golomb, Associate
Professor of Medicine at University of California, San Diego, masterfully
exposes the corruption that has metastasized like a tumor throughout the
pharmaceutical and medical industries. The corruption has become so prolific
that it has literally debased medical science.
In the above linked Chicago
Breaking News article, Dr. Paul Offit, an infectious disease specialist at the
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, is quoted as saying: “Science is not a
democracy where people's votes decide what is right. Look at the data,
look at science and make a decision based on science that has been
published." What he is really
advocating is for you to blindly believe in “facts” that may have been produced
in the midst of MASSIVE conflicts of interest. Before you assume the science in
medical journals is credible, let’s take a look at what is going on behind the
scenes of editing and publishing in medical science.
Bias #1: Unwanted Results are Not
Published
In order for scientific studies to
happen, someone has to pay for them. The top funder for any drug trial is the
pharmaceutical company that makes it, since the manufacturer is most invested
in “proving” how spectacular its drug is. Dr. Golomb uses the case of statins
(drug used for heart disease) as an example, stating that all of the major
statin studies have been funded exclusively by the drug industry.
The second-highest funder of drug
studies is the National Institute of Health (NIH),
which is not the group of neutral government experts you may have assumed them
to be. In fact, NIH accepts a great deal of money from Big Pharma and is deeply
enmeshed with the industry.
But drug companies publish only
a fraction of the studies they fund -- the ones that promote their
drugs. If a study does not have findings that are
favorable to its product, it is unlikely it will ever make it into a
journal for publication. In contrast, studies that have favorable findings
almost always make the cut. There are simply thousands of scientific studies
out there that have never been seen by you or your physician because they have
been screened out by editors and reviewers who are being paid to uphold an
industry agenda. Published studies overwhelmingly favor the funding
company’s drug. Whichever drug is manufactured by the study sponsor is the
drug that comes out on top, 90 percent of the time! Given this, how can
medical journals be considered unbiased?
Bias #2: Bad Results are submitted
as Good
When a scientific study has
findings that cast doubt on the efficacy of a drug, oftentimes the negative
findings are morphed into positive ones. So, even if they can’t make the
results look good, they can often find a way to twist the conclusions so that
their drug appears favorable.
Bias #3: A Favorable Study is
Submitted Multiple Times
When a study yields positive
results, it is often submitted multiple times in a way
that the reader does not realize it’s the same study, obscured by different
author lists and different details. Analyzers have had to look very carefully
to determine which studies are actually duplicates because they are so cleverly
disguised.
Bias #4: Follow-Up Reviews Done by
Biased Experts
The editorials that follow from a
study, submitted by so-called unbiased experts and then published in reputable
journals, are often done by non-neutral parties who have a financial tie to the
drug maker.
Bias #5: Ghostwriting
Bias #6: Journal Bias
Medical journals are generally
considered by medical practitioners to be a source of reliable information. But
medical journals are also businesses. Three editors, who agreed to discuss
finances only if they remained anonymous, said a few journals that previously
measured annual profits in the tens of thousands of dollars now make millions
annually. The truth is that Big Pharma has become quite adept at manipulating
and brainwashing practitioners of conventional medicine. They influence the
very heart and center of the most respected medical journals, creating dogma
and beliefs that support the drug paradigm because it is blessed by the
pinnacle of scientific integrity: the prestigious peer-reviewed medical
journal. Peer-reviewed medical journals contain advertisements that are almost
exclusively for drugs, amidst articles that are biased toward promoting
those drugs.
In 2003, drug companies spent $448
million dollars on advertising in medical journals. It has been calculated that
the return on investment on medical journal ads is between $2.22 and $6.86 for
every dollar spent, with larger and older brands at the higher end. Long-term
returns may be even higher when you consider that one ad viewed by a physician
could result in hundreds or even thousands of drug purchases, based on the
prescriptions he or she writes.
The term “peer-review” has come to
imply scientific credibility. But the fact is that many of the peer-reviewers
are on the drug company’s payroll, and those who are not are unlikely to detect flawed research
or outright fraud. Medical journals are the number one source of medical
information for physicians. In fact, nearly 80 percent of physicians use
medical journals for their education, which exceeds information from any other
source.
Bias #7: Drug Companies
Masquerading (pretending) as Educators
The education of medical students
and residents also comes through the filter of the drug industry, which seeks
to groom them before they even finish medical school. And drug companies are
allowed to develop their own education curriculum for medical students and
residents, lavishing them with gifts, indirectly
paying them to attend meetings and events where they promote the company’s
products.
Any discussion of physician
“seduction” would be incomplete without the mentioning of the 100,000 drug
reps, who are groomed and trained to wine and dine and otherwise shower
physicians in sweetness until they are handing out prescriptions like
candy. Reps are even taught tactics for
manipulating doctors for industry benefit, as a standard part of their
training.
What happens if a physician or
other person speaks up about these conflicts of interest? What happens to the
proverbial whistle-blower?
Intimidating phone calls and
direct threats for starters.
In one case, Dr. Buse, an
endocrinologist who is the incoming president of the American Diabetes
Association, presented data in 1999 about his concerns about the risks of Avandia. Dr. Buse was intimidated
with multiple phone calls by drug company officials. They suggested he could be
financially liable to the company for $4 billion in lost revenues due to his
“unscrupulous remarks.” Other truth-tellers have had their reputations trashed
or job offers rescinded for speaking the truths that Big Pharma works so hard
to keep under wraps.
“Too Big to Nail” An individual truth-teller might be
vulnerable to the wrath of an angry drug company, but drug companies are
unlikely to suffer much of a consequence for their crimes.
The bottom line is the drug companies aren’t going to protect
you. The government won’t protect you. And it is unlikely that your
physician can protect you either -- even a well-meaning one -- when he or she
is operating within a system that has become RIGGED for Big Pharma profit. Only
you can protect yourself.
My comments: We saw the situation in health field.
Everybody rich or poor needs health service and in such most essential area we
see the malpractice from so called elite community for which everybody has to
suffer.
C Stress
scenario: Overall status of mental situation
world over compiled from different sources is as follows.
World Health Organization: Depression is the No 1 occupational disease
of the 21st century says WHO. Around 49% of people under stress say they suffer
from upset stomach or nausea. 71% people under stress feel they are not
productive and cry regularly. Over 50% of the World's children are brought up
in stressful conditions, says UNESCO. Under High stress your biological age can
be 3 times higher than your calendar age. 69% of people suffering from stress
related disorders such as depression were apprehensive that society would
consider them to be crazy. 55 % of
people suffering from stress related disorders say they have no or very few
close friends. 71% people under stress refrain from social activities. 50% of
people under stress say they are not able to pursue leisure activities or
hobbies. The typical age of onset of social anxiety disorder is 12 to 19. About
77% people under stress say anxiety or disorders such as insomnia or depression
hamper their romantic relationships. 58% are embarrassed to acknowledge that
they are depressed. 35% people suffering from social anxiety disorder say they
avoid intimacy with partners. Over 50% of lost workdays across the world are
due to stress, says an ILO study
Stress levels are rising in work places around the world. In a
recent global survey of 1,000 corporations across 15 countries, commissioned by
The Regus Group it was found that the levels of workplace stress have raised
over the last two years. The survey found 6 in 10 workers in significant global
economies experienced increased workplace stress. The survey found that China
(86%) had the highest rise in workplace stress. While those workers in larger
companies worldwide (over 1000 workers and more) were nearly twice as likely to
suffer from stress, these heightened stress levels were costing world economies
billions Of dollars in lost productivity and health related problems.
Stress related facts and statistics: June’ 2013. The Stress in America survey
results show that adults continue to report high levels of stress and many
report that their stress has increased over the past year – American
Psychological Association. 75% of adults reported experiencing moderate to high
levels of stress in the past month and nearly half reported that their stress
has increased in the past year.
American Psychological Association.
Approximately 1 out of 75 people may experience panic disorder
National Institutes of Mental Health. Stress
is a top health concern for U.S. teens between 9th and 12th grade,
psychologists say that if they don’t learn healthy ways to manage that stress
now, it could have serious long-term health implications – American
Psychological Association.
The Regus Group Alarmingly 91% of adult
Australians feels stress in at least one important area of their lives. Almost 50% feel very stressed about one part
of their life – Lifeline Australia. Australian employees are absent for an
average of 3.2 working days each year through stress. This workplace stress costs the Australian
economy approximately $14.2 billion – Medibank
An estimated 442,000 individuals in Britain,
who worked in 2007-08 believed that they were experiencing work-related stress
at a level that was making them ill – Labor Force Survey. Approximately 13.7
million working days are lost each year in the UK as a result of work-related
illness at a cost of £28.3 billion per year – National Institute for Health and
Clinical Excellence. Depression is among the leading causes of disability
worldwide – World Health Organization.
India: (National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences
India): Depression among the youth has increased from 2% to 12% in the last
five years. Globally 3 out of every 5 visits to the doctor are for stress
related problems. 76% people under stress say they have sleeping disorders and
58% suffer headaches. 85% of people under stress tend to have strained
relations with family and friends. 70% of people under stress say they have
become short- tempered. A NIMHANS study says 36 % techies in Bangalore show signs
of psychiatric disorder. Globally 1 out of every 10 students suffers
significant distress... According to recent reports 50% employees in India Inc.
are under stress, 30% have problems such as addictions and marital discord
while 20% suffer from depression. 66% CEO's in India are stressed out and 11%
find it too much to handle says ASSOCHAM.
My comments: Due to advance in science and technology our
standard of living has improved. The amenities available to us have increased
but with all this advance not happiness but the stress has increased to a level
which offsets all the gains.
D-1 the fact about corruption (Indian
express 6 Nov. 2013), excerpts
I would like to take a look at some of the root causes of
corruption in India. The basic cause is that the government is not designed
for accountability and delivering services to its citizens. This is a
larger problem, which can be resolved if adequate effort is made to streamline
administrative processes. There is some truth in the idea that we lack
the wherewithal to catch the corrupt. The anti-corruption bureau (ACB) in
Maharashtra registered 654 cases during 2011. The instances of corruption each
day must be in the thousands, and if only 654 cases are registered in a year by
the ACB, it is only tokenism. There is a need to find a way of raising this
figure by at least 20 times, if the ACB is to have any meaningful impact. Similarly,
a look at the performance of the Lokayukta in Maharashtra shows that, with a
staff of over 80 people, it received 11,153 allegations during the 25-year
period between 1981 and 2006, and could find only 57 instances where it
recommended any action by the government. If this is the performance of two of
our institutions in one state, can they have any impact on corruption?
However, I would submit that there is another, more
fundamental cause of corruption: Our inability to punish the few corrupt
persons our investigative agencies identify. To illustrate, I am presenting
data published in the Indian Police Journal in April-June 2010. A study was
done of the performance of an anti-corruption branch of the Central Bureau of
Investigation (CBI) for the period 1980-84 (mean year 1982) in the year 2008,
that is, after 26 years. I would first like to present the raw data.
During the four-year period, 698 accused had been
investigated and out of these, 273 persons were charge sheeted. Of these, the
CBI was able to get conviction in 144 cases. The average time for investigation
was 13.4 months, whereas the average time to get the convictions was seven
years and four months. Of these, only four persons have been to prison for over
20 days, since most of those convicted appealed, while some of the convicted
persons had died. In 2008, 71 appeals were still being contested in the higher
courts. The nation is spending money in 71 cases to try and prosecute 71
persons after 26 years. Is it not obvious that the process is irrelevant?
It is a reasonable assumption that this study is
representative of the actual ground realities in India. It appears to indicate
that getting the investigative agencies to become more efficient or bigger
may not be the solution to our corruption, since it will get stalled at the
judicial stage.
We need to find a way to decide on cases of corruption
within a reasonable time, by getting our judiciary to accept that decisions
need to be given in a reasonable amount time if the justice system is to be
meaningful. Some citizens saying that there are 164 MPs in Parliament with
charges of corruption. Does this mean they are corrupt, unless the courts
pronounce them guilty? The only answer a civilized society can give is a
resounding "no", unless the judicial system finally pronounces them
guilty. If we have a judicial system that cannot pronounce corrupt persons as
guilty, no Lokpal will reduce corruption.A functional judicial system that
delivers in a reasonable time is an essential prerequisite for any reduction in
corruption, and for a rule of law to prevail. Talking of fast-track courts is
no solution. We must realize — as Justice Kirpal did — that the justice system
is not functioning effectively, and we need to find a way to change this.
This can be changed, if we consider an effective judicial delivery system that
delivers in any court in less than 18 months. This is possible, and must be
considered non-negotiable. (The writer is a former information commissioner
with the CIC, New Delhi)
D-2) Corruption-scandals-that-shamed-India-89069.html at the above link
NITI CENTRAL dated 13 June 2013 gives the list of 25 corruption scandals that
shamed India. http://www.niticentral.com/2013/06/13/25
1) 1948 jeep scandal: It was first major
corruption case in independent India. VK Krishna Menon, the then Indian high
commissioner to Britain, ignored protocols and signed Rs 80 lakh contract for
the purchase of army jeeps with a foreign firm. While most of the money was
paid up front, just 155 jeeps landed, the then Prime Minister Nehru forced the
government to accept them. Govind Ballabh Pant the then Home Minister and the
then Government of Indian National Congress announced on September 30, 1955
that the Jeep scandal case was closed for judicial inquiry ignoring suggestion
by the Inquiry Committee led by Ananthsayanam Ayyangar.
2) 1981
Antulay Trust: AR Antulay, the then Chief Minister of Maharashtra, allegedly
garnered Rs. 30 crore from businesses dependent on State resources.
3) 1987 HDW commissions: The German submarine
maker was blacklisted after allegations that commissions worth Rs. 420 crore
had been paid in the 1987 deal in India.
4) 1989 St. Kitts forgery: Documents were forged
to allege that former Prime Minister VP Singh was a beneficiary of his son’s
account in the First Trust Corp at St Kitts, with a deposit of $21 million.
5) 1980-90s Bofors scandal: It was a major
corruption scandal in India in the 1980s and 1990s, initiated by Congress
politicians and implicating the Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi and several others
who were accused of receiving kickbacks from Bofors AB for winning a bid to
supply India's 155 mm field howitzer.
6) 1990 Airbus scandal: Indian Airline's signing
of the Rs.2, 000-crore deal with Airbus instead of Boeing caused a furor
following the crash of an A-320 airliner.
7) 1992 Securities scam: Harshad Mehta
manipulated banks and the stock market, pushing shares like ACC from Rs.500 to
Rs 10,000. The stacked-up claims of the brokers were a staggering Rs 10,000
crore.
8) 1996 Urea scam: a clutch of businessmen in
connivance with top officials of the National Fertilizer Limited, fleeced the
Government of Rs.133 crore for the import of urea, which was never delivered.
9) 1996 Telecom fraud: Former Minister of State
for Communication was accused of causing a loss of Rs.1.6 crore by favoring a
Hyderabad-based firm in the purchase of telecom equipment.
10) 1996 Fodder scam: This scam broke out in 1996
in the town of Chaibasa, Bihar when the animal husbandry department embezzled
funds of around Rs 950 crore meant to purchase cattle fodder, medicines and
animal husbandry equipment in Bihar. Chief Minister was forced to resign along
with former Chief Minister.
11) 2002-2003 Taj Heritage Corridor case: It is
an alleged scam wherein 2002-2003, the then Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and
a Minister in her Government, were charged with corruption.
12) 2009 Satyam Computer Services scandal: It was
a corporate scandal that occurred in 2009 where Chairman confessed that the
company's accounts had been falsified. The Global corporate community was
shocked and scandalized when the Chairman of Satyam, resigned on January 7,
2009 and confessed that he had manipulated the accounts by $1.47 Billion.
13) 2002-2010 UP Food grain scam: Uttar Pradesh
food grain scam also dubbed as Mother of all scams took place between years
2002 and 2010. The grain worth Rs 35000 crore, meant to be distributed via PDS
to the poor under several schemes like Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY), Jawahar
Rozgar Yojana and Midday Meal Scheme for Below Poverty Line (BPL) card holders,
was diverted to the open market. The scam first was exposed in 2003, in Gonda
district during the distribution of food grain meant for the Sampoorna Grameen
Rozgar Yojana. After initially ordering an inquiry into the scam Mulayam Singh
withdrew it. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up by the Mulayam Singh
Government in 2006, lodged over 5,000 FIRs. The latest of the scam series in
India, initially referred as the 'UP rice scam' could be the biggest of them
all, even outdistancing the 2G Spectrum scam. The scam involves goofing up of
rice worth Rs 20, 0000 crore. It was a scam that stretched to almost 7 years
and 300 FIRs.
14) 2001 Stock market scam: Stock market king,
Ketan Parekh used UTI, Calcutta Stock Exchange and his own index K-10 to swindle
investors. When the scam was unearthed, it was reported that he had wiped off
over Rs.1 lakh crore of investor's market capital.
15) 2008 cash-for-votes scandal: It is a scandal,
in which the UPA, the majority-holding Parliamentary-party alliance, allegedly
bribed MPs in order to survive a confidence vote on July 22, 2008...
16) 2010 CWG scam: The Commonwealth Games is
perhaps one of India's most well-known scam. Suresh Kalmadi who was the
chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Commonwealth Games was the main
accused. It consisted of a number of corrupt deals involving overstated contracts.
Kalmadi also handed out Rs 141 crore contracts to Swiss Timing for its timing
equipment; the deal was inflated by Rs 95 crores.
17) 2010 2G spectrum scam: The illegal
undercharging by Government officials to various telecom companies during the
allocation of 2G licenses for cellphone subscriptions gave rise to the 2G
spectrum scam. According to the CAG, the scam amounts to about Rs 176,000
crore, whereas the CBI estimates it at Rs 30,984 crore.
18) 2011 Antrix Devas deal: In 2011, former ISRO
chairman and three other scientists were involved in a controversial deal
between the Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) commercial arm Antrix
Corporation and Devas Multimedia. The deal involved ISRO leasing the S-band
transponders on two satellites (GSAT6 and GSAT6A) to Devas for broadcasting
purposes. A CAG report found that the department of space hid facts from the
Cabinet.
19) 2012 Uttar Pradesh NRHM scam: Under
Mayawati's regime, this scam caused a loss of Rs 10,000 crore to the State.
Politicians and senior bureaucrats are alleged to have siphoned off a massive
booty from the National Rural Health Mission (NHRM), a Central Government program
meant to improve health care services in rural areas. At least five people have
been murdered in an attempt to cover up large-scale irregularities...
20) 2012 Tatra scam: Bharat Earth Movers Ltd in
collaboration with Tatra Vectra Motors had produced over 7000 trucks to the
Army. When General VK Singh took over as the Army Chief, he refused to authorize
the purchase of trucks after he was offered a bribe. The scam was estimated at
Rs 750 crore.
21) 2012 Coal mining controversy: Also called
Coalgate is one of the well-known scams. The scam, where the UPA Government
reported a loss of Rs 185,591 crore.
22) 2013
Railway promotion scam: Infamously known as Railgate, it involves former
Railway Minister and his nephew, for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 90 lakh
from a Railway Board member.
23) 2013
Saradha Group chit fund scam: Earthed recently, the Saradha Group chit fund
scam caused a loss of Rs 20,000 crore to the exchequer.
24) 2013
Vodafone tax scandal: The scandal involves Rs 11, 000 crore tax dispute. The
dispute also names Union Minister Kapil Sibal because of the Law Ministry's
U-turn to agree to conciliation in Vodafone tax case.
25) 2013
Agusta Westland chopper deal scam: This is one of the most recent of the cases
in India, which has shamed the country. The deal amounts to Rs 74.5 crore...
E International status: (http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2012/dec/05/corruption-index-2012-transparency-international)
The latest corruption index from Transparency International shows
the old problems are as rife as they ever were. The CPI scores countries on a
scale of zero to 100, with zero indicating high levels of corruption and 100,
low levels. Two thirds of the 176 countries ranked in the 2012 index score
below 50 - meaning they are considered significantly corrupt.
The lowest scored country in
Europe, however, is troubled Greece - ranked down 14 places to number 36. Syria
too, presently in the middle of civil war, is down 15 places to number 144,
making it one of the most corrupt countries on earth. Egypt, presently in the
middle of demonstrations, is down six places to 118 out of 174 countries ranked
by the index.
And the most corrupt places in the
world are not the most surprising. Unstable governments, often with a legacy of
conflict, continue to dominate the bottom rungs of the CPI. Afghanistan, North Korea and Somalia share last place with a score of only eight out of
100 for transparency.
Unsurprisingly, at the top are some of the
world's most stable countries - New Zealand, Denmark and Finland are number one. The Index,
which is closely watched by investors, economists, and civil society
campaigners, is based on expert assessments and data from 13 surveys from
independent institutions, covering issues such as access to information,
bribery of public officials, kickbacks in public procurement, and the
enforcement of anti-corruption laws. While critics note that measuring
perceptions of corruption is not the same as measuring corruption itself, the
latter is almost impossible to do - as the corrupt are usually keen to cover up
their tracks, hard data on graft and bribery is notoriously difficult to come
by.
( some scores: India-36, China-39,
Pakistan-27).
My comments: We see that two third countries are highly corrupt.
Since both India and china come in this class we can imagine how majority of
the world population is suffering from corruption. This makes the world
population unhappy as can be seen in the next point. Here again we see the
problem is not with illiterate poor people but with so called educated, elite
class of politicians, political systems, judicial systems, business ethics etc.
F
Ref .World Happiness Report 2013 on line (edited by John Helliwell,
Richard layard and Jeffrey Sachs)
Mental illness is one of the main causes of
unhappiness (Ref. chapter 3) People can be
unhappy for many reasons— from poverty to unemployment to family breakdown to
physical illness. But in any particular society, chronic mental illness is a
highly influential cause of misery. By far the most common forms of mental
illness are depression and anxiety disorders, so we particularly
concentrate on these in this chapter. We develop the following key points:
1. Mental illness is a highly influential —
and in the countries we have assessed, the single biggest — determinant of
misery.
2. Prevalence varies between countries, but
these conditions affect about 10% of the world’s population at any
one time.
3. Worldwide, depression and anxiety
disorders account for up to a fifth of all disability. This involves
massive costs in lost output as well as increased physical illness.
4. Even in rich countries, less than a third
of people who suffer from mental illness are in receipt of treatment and care;
in lower-resource settings, the situation is considerably worse. This is
serious discrimination; it is also unsound economics.
5. Cost-effective treatments exist. For
depression and anxiety disorders, evidence-based treatments can have low or
zero net cost. They can and should be made far more universally available.
6. Schools and workplaces need to be much
more mental health-conscious, and directed to the improvement of happiness, if
we are to prevent mental illness and promote mental health.
Mental Illness a Key Determinant of
Unhappiness: Mental health or psychological
well-being makes up an integral part of an individual’s capacity to lead a
fulfilling life, including the ability to study, work or pursue leisure
interests, and to make day-to-day personal or household decisions about
educational, employment, housing or other choices. The importance of good
mental health to individual functioning and well-being can be amply
demonstrated by reference to values that sit at the very heart of the human
condition.
The
Prevalence of Mental Illness Worldwide. Mental disorders are a common
occurrence in all regions and cultures of the world. For many years, a persistently
held belief was that these disorders were the preserve of rich countries;
epidemiological studies over the last generation have manifestly shown this not
to be the case. In fact, by dint of population size, the large majority of
persons with a mental disorder reside in low- and middle-income countries of
the world. The prevalence of these conditions is dominated by the so-called
“common mental disorders” of depression and anxiety, and they are indeed highly
prevalent – between them they occur at any one time in nearly one in 10 persons
on the planet. In childhood and
adolescence, behavioral disorders constitute the most common problems. Prevalence rates differ between
countries but not greatly between groups of countries (when grouped by income
level).
Conclusion: Mental Illness is a huge problem in every society and a
major cause of misery in the world. The economic cost is also huge. But
cost-effective treatments exist. Unfortunately however, most people who need
treatment never get it. This can be reversed, and to do it will require
countries to spend a higher proportion of their health budgets on mental health
and to use these resources more efficiently. It ties in closely with the global
happiness agenda in two ways. Better treatment for mental health would improve
happiness directly; and improving happiness in other ways would reduce the
frequency of mental illness. If we want a happier world, we need a
completely new deal on mental health.
My comments: The majority of the countries and very high
percentage of world population is sad. This is in spite of lot of science and
technology advance in the last century. To make the world happy we are anxious
on getting new deal on mental health! Who is going to discover it? We need
healthy minds but scientists, philosophers, thinkers they do not yet have
decided ‘What Mind means’!
Vijay R. Joshi
