Indian government invites church to cooperation in medical sphere
In a speech on selective abortions, the Health Minister praised the commitment of Christians. The secretary of the Health Commission of the Bishops' Conference told AsiaNews: "Our commitment is sincerely appreciated. We collaborate, preserving Catholic ethics."
New Delhi (AsiaNews) The Indian Health Minister wishes to collaborate with leaders of Catholic and other religious communities to control disparity in the gender ratio and to upgrade the country's health system.
This was declared by Anbumani Ramadoss, Health and Family Welfare Minister, during a speech on selective abortions and birth control. "Banning pre-natal sex determination through law is obviously not enough. It's a social problem and we need to change the mindset of the people through people who can influence their thinking, such as religious leaders."
According to a government survey, the number of females per 1,000 males is highest in Christian communities (964/1000); followed by Muslims (950/1000) and Buddhists (942/1000). Sikhs come last (786/1000) while the religion of the majority, Hinduism, comes somewhere in the middle (925/1000).
The ministry has decided to apply methods used in some Indian states at national level. "The western state of Gujarat and the northern state of Punjab have obtained good results by involving religious leaders in pro-female awareness campaigns. We have a national conference coming up in Delhi in November involving leaders from all communities to draft a common plan for all India."
Sex determination before birth is banned under the Prenatal Diagnostics Techniques Act of January 1996, but simple legal prohibition is not enough: the ratio of females to males has dropped from 945/1000 in 1991 to 927/1000 in 2001.
Dr Malini Karkal, a veteran demographer and social campaigner, said babies are subject to discrimination even after birth, with violations ranging from malnutrition to a lack of medical care and the near-impossibility of receiving an education.
AsiaNews interviewed Fr Alex Vadakumthala, secretary of the Health Commission of the Bishops' Conference, about the matter. He said: "The commitment of Catholics is sincerely appreciated by the government. The minister studied in a Christian school, so he knows us well." This commitment is "especially developed in four southern states: Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andra Pradesh. The overall level of health services here is high, not least because of our commitment in the educational, health and social sectors."
Fr Vadakumthala continued: "We have nearly 600 Sisters who are doctors and in India this is unique. The Sisters work in 95% of villages which otherwise would not have any provision of medical services because it is not cost-effective to open clinics or dispensaries and so not even private enterprises set up in these places. Nearly all doctors go to cities.
"The Indian government has launched a programme called Rural Health Mission in which they ask for the collaboration of the Church to improve health services in villages. We have said very clearly that we intend to collaborate with the government and non-governmental organizations only if Catholic morals and ethics are respected."
The Indian government "knows that health development and education projects in the country would improve substantially with the help of the Catholic church and it wants to collaborate to upgrade services".
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