In 2022, a pregnant Indian tourist died in Portugal after being denied treatment at a hospital. The health minister there resigned within hours, accepting moral responsibility. In India, however, such accountability remains absent even in far more tragic cases.
Recently, nearly twenty children in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan died after consuming a toxic cough syrup called Coldrif, manufactured by a Chennai-based company. The syrup was banned, and the owner arrested, yet no minister stepped down.
India has witnessed similar tragedies before. In 2018, a pregnant woman named Koshaliya Bai died in Rajasthan due to hospital negligence. In 2020, another woman lost her life in Murshidabad, West Bengal, after delayed treatment. Each time, investigations followed, but no senior official resigned.
Simply resigning, though, is not a cure for India’s healthcare failures. Portugal, a nation of around 1 crore people, can implement swift administrative action. India, with over 140 crore citizens and a complex federal health system, cannot resolve issues with quick replacements alone.
What India truly needs is a stronger public health framework—better hospitals, tighter drug regulation, and faster response to medical negligence. Real change depends not on symbolic resignations but on accountability, reform, and consistent oversight.
