Transparent Enforcement Needed

All patients who got a faulty hip implant (eight years ago), sold by a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary must be compensated, said a February 2018 report by an expert committee of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Seven months after the report, five of the victims have written to the ministry seeking the details of the recommendations. Patient advocacy groups have been demanding that the government make the report public to avoid any scope for subsequent alterations in the recommendations.

Two things are clear. India does not have proper electronic, traceable health records or a registry of patients. We fail to enforce time-bound penalties on wrong doers. For a robust healthcare ecosystem, both ingredients are crucial. It is time to make India's digital drive more purposeful.

Joe C Mathew