The Hindu Editorial Analysis | 3rd Sep’19 | PDF Download

• Despite tremendous changes in health systems over the last century, medical education curricula have remained mostly outdated. The key elements that define today’s global health systems include aging populations; demand for quality, equity, and dignity; the transition from communicable to non-communicable diseases and from episodic illnesses to lifelong ailments; the double burden of disease in some countries; and disruptive advances in medical knowledge, IT, and biotechnology.
• Medical education is the bedrock on which the needs of ‘human resources for health’, one of the major building blocks of any health system, are met. Today’s health professionals are required to have knowledge, skills, and professionalism to provide safe, effective, efficient, timely, and affordable care to people. They are required to: be proficient in handling disruptive technologies, understand the economics of healthcare, have the skills to work in and handle large and diverse teams, be ethical, demonstrate empathy, and be abreast of rapid developments in medicine.
• Today’s medical education should be able to groom such professionals to face medicine of the 21st century. In addition to raising the standards of medical professionals, the system should innovate to meet the growing shortage of health professionals to serve ageing populations with lifestyle and lifetime ailments.
• Required reforms
• First, there is a pressing need to revisit the existing guidelines for setting up medical schools and according permission for the right number of seats. Methods of education across fields are undergoing changes on account of advances in e-learning methods and tools, including remote learning, virtual classrooms, digital dissections, and simulation systems for imparting skills. Extending teaching privileges to practicing physicians and allowing e-learning tools will address the shortage of quality teachers across the system. Together, these reforms could double the existing medical seats without compromising on the quality of teaching.
• There are ongoing innovations in medical education to prepare professionals for the complex and rapidly changing healthcare system. In fact, The Lancet report, ‘Health Professionals for a new century: transforming health education to strengthen health systems in an interdependent world’ (2010) outlines key recommendations to transform health professional education. According to a study by Densen P. (2011), “it is estimated that the doubling time of medical knowledge in 1950 was 50 years; in 1980, 7 years; and in 2010, 3.5 years. In 2020 it is projected to be 0.2 years — just 73 days.”
• At this pace of change, a student can be prepared to process information that is readily available than to know past knowledge. Periodic re-certification based on continuing learning systems may become essential to keep up with the fast pace of change. Virtual learning tools eliminate the need for didactic classrooms. Dynamic curricula designed around specific health systems will become more relevant than the systems designed for the classical hospital-based care. Since health professionals work in teams, inter-professional combined learning methods are being introduced. Even the concept of the teaching hospital is changing from a single, large hospital to a network of hospitals and community health centres.

For a more responsive system

• The Medical Council of India has been mired in controversies, resulting in deterioration in the quality of education.
• Also, its policies and strategies were delinked from the rapid changes happening in health systems within India and globally.
• By monopolizing control over every aspect of medical education, it bred the culture of deep-rooted corruption.
• However, if MCI splits its functions into four well-defined areas, and stipulates fixed and rotating terms to key people, it could enable the creation of a more responsive system.
• The explanations provided by the Chairman of the Press Council of India, C.K. Prasad, in defending the body’s intervention in a petition filed in the Supreme Court show a limited understanding of the role of a responsible press in a democracy. Justice Prasad’s letter to the Chairman of The Hindu Group Publishing Private Ltd., N. Ram, brought out this myopia in an unequivocal manner. The Chairman of the statutory watchdog of the press came up with a bewildering separation of “individual right and national interest”, thus reducing the right of the press to an individual right.
• News is a public good
• The rights of the press do not pertain to the right of any individual reporter or media organization. The freedom of the press represents the collective will of the people. It flows from Article 19 of the Constitution. The rights and privileges of the press are devised to provide crucial information to citizens so that they can make informed choices in a democracy. So, it is very disturbing that this public good is being converted into an “individual right”. In his interview to HuffPost India, Justice Prasad prioritized the state’s interest over the people’s interest when he declared that in his personal opinion, “some news is best not reported”. He came up with a three-way conflict of interests: public interest, national interest, and freedom of the press. Justice Prasad fails to understand that these three are integral to a democracy and are related. They cannot be disaggregated.
• Some readers wanted to know whether I am prepared to reconsider my opinion in the light of Justice Prasad’s view. They felt that my column, “Information blackout leads to silence and exaggeration” (August 12), which argued against the idea of institutionalised curbing of media freedom, had been effectively countered by Justice Prasad. There is a vast difference between bearing witness and a voyeuristic gaze. Journalism is not an instrument for wishful thinking but a mirror that reflects the views of citizens. It is through journalism that we get a glimpse of reality. When this intrinsic value of journalism is replaced by the instrumental requirements of the ruling elites, the world becomes a very dangerous place.
• Recently, Alan Rusbridger, former Editor of The Guardian, initiated a Twitter thread on this particular peril that has plagued journalism for nearly a century. He sought examples of wishful thinking colouring news judgment in journalism. He cited the case of the “Express [in the U.K.] 1936-1939 repeatedly telling readers that there’d be no war because no-one wanted another war”. Mr. Rusbridger said he was looking for cases of wishful thinking (“I hope this will be for the best”) that turned out to be false prophecies (“there will be no war”), and hence showed “corrupted reporting”.
• The problem of wishful thinking
• Of multiple responses to Mr. Rusbridger’s tweet, I would like to share four examples. One person responded that the press “did no due diligence” when the U.S. claimed that there were Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq before launching a war on that country; the press, especially the Western media, simply bought the propaganda lock, stock and barrel. The director of the journalism fellowship programme at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford, Meera Selva, pointed out another example: “Business pages cheerleading Jon Moulton of Alchemy Partners as he bought Rover, as a sign that the UK car industry could still be saved.” Former executive director of the Organisation of News Ombudsmen, Jeffrey Dvorkin, said everyone believed that the “Arab Spring will succeed in bringing democracy to the region because everyone has a smartphone”. Andrey Mir cited the example of the study by Walter Lippmann and Charles Merz on how the New York Times had consistently skewed coverage in favour of what its editors wished would happen: “That the Bolsheviks would continue Russia’s involvement in the war against Germany, and then, after the war, that the various White Army factions would defeat the Bolsheviks.”
• These examples explain the huge cost paid by humanity when the media is reduced to a tool of wishful thinking. Whatever be the magnitude of the crisis, it is vital for citizens and policymakers to know the truth. Not reporting some news may provide momentary comfort, but it will hurt the social fabric in the long run. Eight core sectors growth slows to 2.1% in July
• During April-July, the eight sectors grew by 3% compared to 5.9% in the same period previous year.
• Growth in core sector activity quickened in July 2019 to 2.1%, due almost entirely to a recovery in the cement sector, according to official data released on Monday.
• The Index of Eight Core Industries had grown at just 0.7% in June 2019. However, July’s growth rate is far lower than the 7.3% growth registered in the same month last year.
• The cement sector saw growth accelerating to 7.9% in July 2019 compared with a contraction of 1.7% in the previous month. The coal sector, however, slipped into contraction in July, contracting 1.4% compared with a growth of 3.2% in June.
• The crude oil sector continued contracting for at least the thirteenth consecutive month, contracting 4.4% in July, compared with a contraction of 6.8% in June.
• The  0.5% in July compared with a contraction of 2.1% in the previous month.
• The refinery products sector also contracted in July, by 0.9% compared with a contraction of 9.3% in June.
• Growth in the fertilizer sector remained flat at 1.5% over the period.
• The steel sector saw growth moderate to 6.6% compared with 8.4% in June.
• The electricity sector, too, saw a slowdown in growth in July, to 4.2%, compared with 8.1% in the previous month.

Moon lander separation successful, says ISRO

• During the one hour separation window starting 12.45 pm, ‘Vikram’ was separated at 1.15 pm, the ISRO said.
• Chandrayaan-2’s lander Vikram detached itself from atop the main spacecraft on Monday afternoon as planned, as it got ready to descend to the moon’s southern surface over the next four days.
• The lander carries small six-wheeled rover Pragyan within it; once they reach the lunar surface, the rover will get out of Vikram to physically probe moon.
• The D-day for the two is September 7 around 1.55 a.m.
• Soon after separation, the lander was in an orbit of 119 km x 127 km around moon. It will start sailing down towards its assigned lunar landing spots after two de-orbits on Tuesday and Wednesday.
• No country has soft-landed on the south polar region that the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has chosen to explore.
• “The lander successfully separated from Chandrayaan-2 orbiter at 1315 Hrs IST today (September 2). All the systems of Chandrayaan-2 orbiter and lander are healthy,” it said.
• An ISRO update said the main spacecraft continues to orbit moon from the same distance that it reached on Sunday. It will take images and do remote-sensing of moon with its payloads for a year.
• The health of the orbiter and lander is being monitored from the Mission Operations Complex (MOX) at the ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) in Bengaluru with support from the two large antennas of the Indian Deep Space Network at Byalalu near Bengaluru.
• The first de-orbit operation is scheduled between 8.45 a.m. and 9.45 a.m. on Tuesday and is designed to put the lander in a 109 km x 120 km orbit. The second slated for the next day should put it into a 36 km x 110 km orbit, from where it start sailing down towards the moon’s surface. UN conference on desertification kicks off
• The COP, which meets every two years, discusses ways and means forward to address global land degradation.
• The 14th United Nations Conference of Parties (COP) to combat desertification kicked off in New Delhi on Monday with India taking over the presidency of the COP for two years.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address the convention next Monday, with senior ministers from nearly 70 countries expected to participate at that session.
• “If human actions have created the problems of climate change, land degradation and biodiversity loss, it is the strong intent, technology and intellect that will make a difference,” Mr. Javadekar said at the inaugural session of the convention that is expected to conclude on the 13th of September.
• The COP, which meets every two years, discusses ways and means forward to address global land degradation. One in four hectares of arable land is considered unusable due to unsustainable land management. These have put nearly 3.2 billion people in the world at risk.
• Last week Mr. Javadekar said India had committed to rejuvenate 50 lakh hectares (5 million) of degraded land between 2021 and 2030.
• India faces a severe problem of land degradation, or soil becoming unfit for cultivation. About 29% or about 96.4 million hectares are considered degraded.
• “More than 70 countries have robust national drought plans, compared to just three countries only 4 years ago. The agenda shows that governments have come to this COP ready to find solutions to difficult problems,” Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary of the Convention, said in a statement.
• This January, India became part of the “Bonn Challenge”, a global effort to bring 150 million hectares of the world’s deforested and degraded land into restoration by 2020, and 350 million hectares by 2030.
• A report released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change earlier this month underlined that land everywhere was bearing the brunt of severe climate change impacts already and would lead to extreme food insecurity if steps weren’t taken.

Eight Apache attack helicopters to be inducted into IAF

• The IAF had signed a multi-billion dollar contract with the U.S. government and Boeing Ltd in September 2015 for 22 Apache helicopters.
• In a major boost to the Indian Air Force’s combat capabilities, eight US-made Apache AH-64E attack helicopters are set to be inducted into the IAF on September 3, officials said on Monday.
• Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa will be the chief guest during the induction ceremony, which will take place at the Pathankot Air Force station.
• The AH-64E Apache is one of the world’s most advanced multi-role combat helicopters and is flown by the U.S. Army.
• “Eight of the Apache attack helicopters are set to be inducted into the IAF, that will enhance the force’s combat capabilities,” a senior IAF official said.
• The IAF had signed a multi-billion dollar contract with the U.S. government and Boeing Ltd in September 2015 for 22 Apache helicopters. The first four of the 22 helicopters was handed over to the air force by Boeing on July 27.
• “By 2020, the IAF will operate a fleet of 22 Apaches, and these first deliveries are ahead of schedule,” Boeing had earlier said. The aerospace major said the AH64E has the latest technology insertions, maintaining its standing as the world’s best attack helicopter.
• “It is the only available combat helicopter with a spectrum of capabilities for virtually any mission requirement. For the AH-64 E, this includes greater thrust and lift, joint digital operability, improved survivability and cognitive decision aiding. It is uniquely suited to meet the commander’s needs, including reconnaissance, security, peacekeeping operations, and lethal attack — in both land and littoral environments — all without reconfiguration,” Boeing said.

Centre in sector-wise talks: Nirmala Sitharaman

• On job losses, Minister says she can only say that government is responding to industry requirements
• Refusing to respond to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s statement attributing the economic slowdown to “man-made blunders”, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday said the Centre was responding to issues raised by various sectors sectorally. She added that it would go ahead with holding consultations with various sectors.
• She was speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of her consultations with the automobile industry in Chennai. Asked for a response to Dr. Singh’s comments, Ms. Sitharaman said: “I don’t have a comment. He has made his comment and I heard it with my ears.”
• On the message to those who lost jobs or feared retrenchment, the Minister said: “Well, I can only say that we are responding to the industry requirements. Now, across the board, there is no one particular answer that I can give saying this is the magic. We are responding sectorally.” She refused to put a number to the jobs lost, contending that data on job losses focused only on the formal sector.

No ‘stateless’ people, says India

• Ministry says those not in NRC will not be detained and will enjoy all rights
• Individuals excluded from the final list of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam will not become stateless and will continue to enjoy equal rights available to all Indians, Raveesh Kumar, official spokesperson of the External Affairs Ministry, said on Sunday.
• Mr. Kumar declared that the implementation of the NRC process would be done in accordance with the democratic traditions of India.
• “Exclusion from the NRC has no implication on the rights of an individual resident in Assam. Those who are not in the final list will not be detained and will continue to enjoy all the rights as before till they have exhausted all the remedies available under the law. It does not make the excluded person “stateless”. It also does not make him a ‘foreigner’,” Mr. Kumar said on Sunday.
• The statement came a day after the publication of the final NRC list that excluded more than 19 lakh individuals. The mammoth exercise was reported widely by the global media over the weekend. UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi also expressed concern, and urged India not to leave anyone as a stateless subject.
• However, the External Affairs Ministry said reports in “sections of the foreign media” were incorrect.

Concerns in Dhaka

• Following the declaration of the final NRC, Foreign Minister of Bangladesh A.K. Abdul Momen reiterated that the NRC was an internal matter of India that would not affect Bangladesh. India has maintained that the excluded individuals will not be deported to that country. Dr. Momen reminded reporters about the assurance of his Indian counterpart when questioned by the media in Dhaka.
• The Ministry spokesperson maintained that the NRC was a “non-discriminatory process, which leaves no room for bias and injustice and that it is a fair process based on scientific methods”.
• Allaying fears about the future of those excluded from the NRC, he said the list was supervised by the Supreme Court of India and was carried out with directives from the court.
• Mr. Kumar said the Government of India would support those appealing for reconsideration of their applications. He argued that “inclusion in the NRC is a unique process, as it is based on ‘application’ rather than house-to-house enumeration”.
• The official said Indian democracy followed “equal rights for all” and “respect for the rule of law” as enshrined in the Constitution of India.

 Pakistan will never ever start war with India: Imran Khan

• Both Pakistan and India are nuclear powers and if tension escalates the world will face danger’
• Pakistan will never ever start a war with India, Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Monday, amid tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours over Kashmir.
• “We will never ever start the war. Both Pakistan and India are nuclear powers and if tension escalates the world will face danger,” Mr. Khan said while addressing a gathering of the Sikh community at the Governor’s House here.

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