a new kind of health insurance

Imagine this...

An insurance card that lets you avail all medical services for FREE!.

Hmmmm.

I am imaginging it like this.

I select ICICI Lombard health insurance for myself and my family for Rs.2 lacs.

The premium is Rs.5000/-

Now, I can select the services insurance.

An additional Rs.500/-for Free medicines 

An additional Rs.300/- for Free Ambulance service

An additional Rs.320/- for Free Diagnostic tests

and so on...the list goes on.

Why is it that none of the insurance companies offers servicee insurance.

If they can take up health insurance, this is also possible.

My imagination takes on colour when I see the State Health department announcing 

This Service Insurance policy and making it compulsory for all residents of Kerala.

They can subsidise rates and ensure that all people have healthcare insurance and health care service insurance maybe at a fraction of the cost that private insurance agencies take from us.

When that happens I will believe that the Health Department is concerned about the people.

Sameer

the government and our health

Watched a news channel relating the french health system and was amazed at the seriousness and care they give to the health of their citizens. 

The French national healthcare system takes care of most part of the healthcare cost, subsidises it and the rest is taken care of by insurance companies. The result is that a patient getting critical care and spending about 10 days in a deluxe payward room pays a maximum of $200(about Rs.9000/-) which is cheaper than in a country like India.

And whats more, most of the times you don't pay anything when you are filling out a prescription at a drug store. 

Incredible. Thats what comes out of an efficient and futuristic government who cares about their people. The French national healthcare system ensures this for any resident national french citizen. One might wonder whether this means that salaries of doctors in France are low. But that is not the case. French doctors are some of the most highly paid in the world drawing  approximately Rs. 2 to 4 lacs per annum.

This government managed care system is rated as one of the best in the world not just because of its quality but because it is also available to just about every man, woman and child residing in France. 

The emergency care system is managed by doctors themselves. When a call comes in, the doctor discusses the problem and scrutinises the issue. They are able to reduce unwanted emergency situations and usage of emergency staff by as much as 50% because of this making it very cost effective. It is notable that there aare no paramedics in ambulances, but doctors. this ensures that the diagnosis is done mid way to the hospital saving time, cost and most important...patient lives.

The other part of French healthcare system is the private SOS care which ensures doctor visits at home at a predetermined interval or in other situations where patients cannot visit hospitals. This ensures better health and less travel to hospitals unless in an emergency. 

India is a developing country, yet our healthcare management has a long way to go. It is time we took stock of our situation. Do write in with your comments and views. We, at Lifelines are creating a project report that will be handed over to our health minister to implement. 

I know we have a long way to go and tons of effort to change our system and the government, but well, a step in the right direction is worth it even if its a tiny step.

Together we can do it.

Reinventing yourself

Its recession time. And its knocking at all our doors. Its affecting all of us in some way or the other. Some of us have lost jobs...some have had salary cuts...some have seen lean business revenue... In a way its also a fad. Everyone's using this as an excuse to cut the flab. Sure, the U.S. economy is in recession, but that does not mean that India needs to be too.

Whatever it is, even if you have not yet been affected, brace yourself...cause its soon going to come and embrace you too in some way or the other. In a way, its not too bad if we understand and react in advance. So dig in, and prepare for the battle ahead. The recession is just an automatic system letting us know that we have ravaged the limits of business...lifestyles...of life itself and its telling us to alter.

We have plundered the earth, its resources and strained the economy to get closer to what we think is luxury. Even when the signs were upon us...power cuts, water shortage, higher bills... we still refused to accept. In a way, its like the tower of Babel. Up until this point in the Bible, the whole world had one language - one common speech for all people. Man built the tower to reach the heavens and God destroyed it and punished them all by scattering them. God confused their language, causing them to speak different languages so they would not understand each other. But well, you know us. We reinvented ourselves and now here we are. We never give up!

Today, ...right now...start reinventing. Life is about to change. I read somewhere about scientists researching how to reduce waste even to the extent of the plastic that we dispose in a toothbrush. Remember to recycle...reorganise...redevelop ideas...in short ...reinvent.

Build up your skill sets(what you are good at/what people recognise you for) and get accepted for that. Be a super skilled, specialist in whatever you are. Find ways to do whatever you are best at in a better way. Be superman. And nobody's gonna take your job away. Who knows, this recession might just help you a few notches up the career ladder

Find innovative ways to sell yourself...and to be remembered always. Teachers are now conducting virtual classes online...and one of them I believe has started classes by taking up a time slot on an FM radio station. Consultants are being called in and work is being outsourced. The service industry is seeing major upheavals. Offices are going lean and mean. Real estate has redesigned itself with nano flats. The car is going NANO.

Get off the tower of Babel. Discover yourself as a new avataar. The name of the game is Reinvent! And that is not a once in a lifetime job. You need to do that everyday, maybe every hour. Wake up and decide just who you want to be this day...Inspirational?... Freedom?... Responsibility? ... Power?... Love?

A new world awaits you. Roll up your sleeves and get to work.

Blessings

Talked to a friend online about our new business venture. She said "wow". "This venture will bring you business and blessings".

Loved the dialogue. Loved the feeling. maybe I could use that as my slogan.

Thanks sindhu. I appreciate the way you portrayed the project.

a healthy society

The world has developed rapidly. Technology drives us in more ways than we know. We are evolving into a "anything available off the shelf" world. Everything is available for sale...packed food, cars, homes, loans, movies, philosophy, even a wife or husband. 

In Kerala, we are also witnessing these changes and though most of us resist it, the change is sweeping across. Keralites have a strange passion for information. No other state has so many television channels...no other state sells so many copies of newspapers or magazines. Yet we are also the slowest to take advantage of a situation or to walk up to an opportunity. We spend an unbelievable amount of money on cars and mobile phones and liquor, though we are not the richest state. 

The statistics for health are also amazing. The number of allopathic clinics in kerala in 2001 owned by the Government are 143 and private hospitals numbered 4288 and 31 homoeo clinics.

This number has vastly increased in the last few years and the health sector has seen a tremendous development in terms of numbers and facilities. Large companies are eyeing the healthcare sector as a major industry for investment with fast returns.

We still have a formidable task ahead of us in terms of healthcare. Major investments and more facilities are needed. We have only one doctor for every 1000 persons whereas it is three in other countries. The number of patients visiting a district hospital everyday is 2000 whereas it is estimated that about 40000 people require specialist treatment everyday.We have 1 hospital bed  for every 500 patients in the urban area and shamefully only 1 bed for every 5000 in rural areas. 

In an emergency, people still don't know what to do. The change from a joint family to smaller units has made most of our lives islands. Sure, we socialise more, have more friends and the freedom to do what we want to do...but in times of trouble/disaster we find we are ALONE.

And still we have done nothing to change that. We have state of the art hospitals and diagnostic centres, yet people have still not understood the true value of service. The only time we visit the hospital is when we are in an emergency, or after we are diagnosed with a terminal illness. The oily food, the sweets and stuff that add value to our socialising occasions are hammering our health in disastrous ways. 

Take a look at yourself. Do you call yourself healthy? Well if the answer is 'yes" you are one of the lucky few. For the others, they are soon on their way to sugar free sweets, salad corners and insulin.

Yes, a few hospitals are evolving into centres which also ensure hospitality along with the finest medical service but we have a long way to go.

Three of us friends began this unique organisation called LIFELINES with the aim of ensuring better access to these healthcare facilities.The response has been more than gratifying. We ensure that the aged are not kept waiting in queue at hospitals, that they have access to a vehicle when they need to go for a check-up, that they do not need to panic when they need an ambulance...that we are still a society that cares about each other and that you can get a little more care at hospitals at a lot less prices. That they are ensured a sense of security with the feeling that YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

Do join us in our mission to ensure an educated, prepared society that can get healthcare at their doorstep, and know that help is at hand when you need it. Do send in your comments and ideas and do encourage us to reach our goals.

remembering juiceumma

I don't know how we coined the name juiceumma(meaning 'juice mother'). Maybe it came from the fact that she was forever making great juice and food for us. Whatever it was,  we all remember the amazing woman that my grandmother was. 

Yesterday was her death anniversary and i was really amazed to see how close to our hearts she still is and how dear she was to this family. Most of the extended family turned up for the event and all of us were talking about her warmth and care and goodness and about the amazing touch she had in her to conjure finger-licking food and to ensure that whatever was there was shared by all of us.

 This part of her really touched me always and on this day of her death anniversary i would like to remember her for the amazing way she shared whatever she had with everyone she knew.

The Juiceumma I remember was always busy in the kitchen and the home she managed ran like a buzzing airport. Uppa(grandfather) was a central minister and we would always have tons of guests for food. Most breakfasts at home were cooked for about 70 -100 people. The amazing part was that even if 200 turned up, she would ensure that they were all fed properly.

 I remember the police security assigned to Uppa arguing for duty schedules to work at our house because of juiceumma's food.  i remember people scurrying about the kitchen on her orders, and people coming in and out of the kitchen with groceries and trays of hot steaming food. and i remember licking my hands after every meal at home.( and the same goes for all who eat there).

 Juiceumma's sharing ability must have come from the amazing heart that she had. I remember bags being packed after every occasion for every member who was absent. And everyone would be sent a bag of food or delicacies that was prepared on that day. i would always wonder how she updated on who was present or absent during those hectic moments in the kitchen. She would continue her stature in the kitchen and playing the host even when she was bed-ridden by shouting orders to all who stood near. We all remember how she would hold on to a chair and amble her way to the kitchen to serve any one who came to her house with at least a cup of chai and twenty different delicacies.

 We once recieved a bag of chocolates and mangoes which she had been gifted.  Some of the chocolate bars were cut in half because she wanted everyone to get equal portions of the chocolate. It was a great feeling to know that she would remember you even if you were not around.

 Today in her absense, i understand the value of sharing and caring for everybody. I pray that we get the stength to touch people's lives in at least a small percentage of the way she did. To share and to care and to behave as human beings should. 

 Juiceumma, we salute you.

a drive...a chai shop and an amazing place near home

Got tired of the usual Sunday timetable. The usual meaning…a lunch at a swanky restaurant or the club…a movie…time out at the beach front or the movie….the park…the arghhhhhh!

So when we had the election day break, decided to be a lil adventurous. Packed the kids in the back and the wife in the front(of the car, stupid) and swung the car in the opposite direction of the usual city drive.

 

Was surprised to find how close to the city outskirts we were. Took hardly ten minutes to find the view changing from endless buildings and concrete to green expanses…trees…blue skies…birds. Found myself whistling …and the wife smiling. By now the kids whining “Why not the club?” had changed to “wow, see that big cow” and more. Felt genuinely sad seeing how close we were to nature yet so far and made a mental note to make it more often.

 

Stopped at chai shop, one of the infinite ones that dot Kerala called the “chayakada’. This one was different cause the chai wala was a lady. She called the kids in and fed them with the specialities of the day. Hot crispy vadas, and “vettu cake” a speciality of kerala. The chai was fabulous and zahi and zoh were sipping it as though for the first time. Clicking some snaps, we soon had the panchayath around us posing with the kids and the chaiwali.

 

Just across the chaishop was the barber shop with a line of oldies sitting across staring as though we were martians. The kids and me walked across and shook hands with all of them. Am sure it was a new experience for the kids and for them too. On the side wall of the barber shop was a bright, stud looking painting of MohanLal the actor in a greenish jacket with bandana and curled mush and Rayban glasses. Zohrab and Zahi posed in front of the painting.

 

We moved along and the road split in two. Decided to take the one without any signs and less travelled. We soon came to a spot that looked so picturesque and beautiful like straight out of a painting. The kids were introduced to touch me nots and were sent off hunting for more of them while the wife and me sat down on the greens and shared some romance. It was like a time travel back to those days when we had no care in the world. Wow. I loved the feeling.

 

Next week we plan to discover more of these places close to home. Like we decided “ If you cant appreciate your own backyard…then who will’. Take time off and travel unknown alleys and lanes. You never know if Life awaits you there. Have a great weekend guys. Love you all.

 

election fever

And so…we come to the end of another round of feverish election campaigns…mudslinging…promises(never to be kept)…

Heroism…lies…plastic smiles…and a sudden face to face (0nce in 5 years) with a host of political faces.

 

Why do we allow this every time….

Why do we sit back and accept candidates like these who have no scruples…

Who have least qualifications to administrate our country…

 

Why do we go each time to the ballot and select one idiot over the others?

This time round I found a whole new way to tell the country that I refuse to vote for any of the candidates

Thrust upon us by political parties.

 

I walked into the election booth and asked for the form which allowed me to cast my vote for “none of the candidates”.

The party agents at the booth jumped up shouting…threatening…making rude eye contact.

It was a first time ever that they had heard of such a thing.

The election officer also said that I was one of he rare few and the first in this area to request for such a service.

 

And he gave me three government sealed papers to sign and fingerprint as my vote “ for none”.

Half the battle won.

I refuse to accept any of these stupid, plastic smiling, wolf in sheeps clothes politicians.

 

Remember…don’t waste your vote…its valuable.

Make your opinion heard.

 

Sameer

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Just checking to see if I can directly upload from my mail box

 

sameer

family...time and us

life is moving along at a pace that most of us are unable to keep up with. we never seem to have time for anything. time is the most abused word in our society today. parents are working so hard to make a better life for their family that they dont have time for their children. children are facing so much competition to get ahead in life that they have no time for their parents. we are all so busy for something we do not know what we are busy with. thats life today...a mad race to reach something we dont know what, yet we know that if we slow down everything will overtake us.

just a  few years ago, we lived in a joint family system. uncles, aunts, grandmas, grandpa's, cousins, and tons of fun and laughter. a central person would control the house and all of us contributed to it. expenses were less, warmth and care enveloped us and there was always someone to help when we needed it.  today, we have travelled ahead. privacy is important. we need our own space. the family has moved into cubicles called flats and smaller spaces where each one has his own tiny room and PRIVACY. 

the result...added expenses, less care, less support, every man for himself, and all of us living as islands. take a look around you. when was the last time that the family sat down to breakfast together...when was the last time we met our uncle who was so special when we were in school, or an aunt who made those delicious dosas. when was the last time we acknowledged the fact that "hey we are family and we love each other"...when was the last time we laughed and chatted over dinner in a relaxed mood. 

time is running by...take a break. chill...and live life...with the family. its worth it.