Free treatment.

THE situation prevailing in government hospitals is rather bleak. These hospitals are bound to provide standard healthcare to patients free of cost, but that is not what happens in reality. The best one can hope to get in state-run health facilities is a prescription, and, if needed and available, a hospital bed. The rest, including the medicines and surgical supplies, have to be arranged by the family.

This is strange because we keep hearing of millions of rupees going to state-run hospitals in every budget? Does the administrative cost consume all those millions? If so, the budget has to specify the various heads under which the money should be spent. Or, is there some element of corruption that siphons money out of the system? If that is the case, the government should sort the matter out. Why should the common man suffer?

As things...