What Parsis need

We have a few Parsi owned hospitals mainly in Bombay and in some places in Gujarat. Can these not be centralized and utilized totally free of cost for all Parsis on the lines of Britain’s NHS (National Health Service)? They should be free without any bias for rich or poor so that everyone gets treated at negligible cost. With an aging population and various age related diseases this would prove to be a blessing for everyone. I would go a step further and say that each hospital should have its own infirmary with dormitory like rooms for those who are not being cared for by family or who are alone and need constant medical attention.
I am sure philanthropic Parsis would go all out to support such a cause. After all, how many Parsi Irani Zoroastrians are left in India now? They are probably fewer than what the KEM Hospital or Grant Medical College treat in a month! One very essential part in this set-up would be to have the right people to take care of the patients, as there is a lot of grumbling and dissatisfaction regarding the nursing staff which either does not respond to patients’ calls or shows no care or charity towards them. This callous attitude is because they have to tend to the underprivileged who naturally are not forthcoming with tips! We need to provide care with gentleness like what the Sisters of Charity provide to their patients.
These are the issues for which the trustees of punchayets and anjumans were elected; not for meddling in our personal lives wherein our views may differ from theirs. Let us decide our own fate. The trustees need to take concrete steps to ensure the well-being of Parsis and Iranis in general.
Subsidized education and a NHS style health care system, a good job and roof over one’s head are the only things the community is hankering after. This is what the leadership is expected to provide. RODA D. HAKIM
Baroda
vadhakim@yahoo.com