07 May 2025 : Indian Express Editorial Analysis

1. The Empty Beds

(Source – The Indian Express, Page 10, Editorial)

Topic: GS2: Issues Relating to Development and Management of Health

Context

The editorial addresses the refusal of certain private hospitals to admit Economically Weaker Section (EWS) patients despite receiving land and tax benefits from the government, raising legal, ethical, and systemic accountability questions

Background:

• Private hospitals built on subsidized government land must provide free treatment to EWS patients under court-mandated obligations.

• Hospitals like Apollo have consistently failed to admit EWS patients, despite having reserved beds.

Key Points:

• Legal and Ethical Dimensions

  • The 2019 Supreme Court order upheld mandatory EWS admissions in private hospitals built on concessional land.

  • Despite this, hospitals find loopholes citing pending litigation or insufficient funds.

• Administrative and Governance Challenges

  • Establish a joint inspection team of State, Centre, and judiciary.

  • De-link EWS duties from “charity” and treat them as binding public service obligations.

  • Penalize recurring offenders through withdrawal of subsidies or licenses.

Practice Question: Discuss the ethical and legal issues in the denial of treatment to EWS patients by private hospitals. Suggest measures for better enforcement of social obligations by private healthcare providers. GS2 – 10 Marks – 150 Words

 

2. Don’t Forget the Survivors

(Source – The Indian Express, Page 10, Editorial)

Topic: GS2: Welfare Schemes for Vulnerable Sections, GS4: Ethics in Governance

Context

Following the Pahalgam terror attack, the editorial calls attention to the neglect of survivors’ welfare and the need for an institutionalized long-term support program.

Key Points:

• Inadequate Survivor Care

  • Existing compensation and rehabilitation measures are ad hoc and insufficient.

  • Victims often face long-term trauma, disability, and economic insecurity.

• Policy Gaps

  • No consistent psychological or livelihood support framework.

  • Survivors are left dependent on judicial activism or fragmented state policies.

• Ethical Responsibility of the State

  • Survivors’ dignity and rehabilitation are moral imperatives of good governance.

  • Failure to institutionalize care reflects a governance deficit and lack of empathy.

• Way Forward

  • Create a national survivor support registry.

  • Ensure long-term counselling, financial support, job security, and social reintegration.

  • Make support provisions rights-based, not discretionary.

Practice Question: Terror attack survivors often face long-term trauma and neglect. Critically examine the gaps in existing welfare measures and suggest institutional mechanisms to support such vulnerable individuals. GS2/GS4 – 15 Marks – 250 Words

Read more – 6 May 2025 : Indian Express Editorial Analysis