Harinarayan Barnwal, a retired bureaucrat from the Revenue Service was suffering from other debilities, but alarm bells rang in the family. Symptoms of his catching the corona infection were clearly discernible to his two sons and two daughters-in-law, or even to the family not familiar with the infectious virus, only because high pressure campaign on television channels. The family decided to rush him to hospital as managing the dreaded infection was beyond the family doctor. For four stages of the lockdown of all activities the government campaign insisted to get in touch with the nearest hospital. The decision got converted into the most agonizing charade. Getting attention of the medico in charge proved to no avail despite throwing awe of his former job position. The family did not think that the ministerial influence and intervention was necessity. Otherwise they would have asked the father of young daughter-in-law, president of the Press Association whose membership confined to media men in daily contact with high ranking politicians and officials. Later on the family came to know that even such contacts were to no avail. But the first shock was on June 6 when Barnwal was taken to the government hospital and presented for emergency examination. Even without attempt to examine the old man, the medico in charge asked the family to take him away since he was not infected. The pleas by both sons and their wives to at least examine the old man to know cause of irritation in his dry throat with high temperature so the family felt reassured and treated the head of the family at home for common cold and fever but medic had no mind to change his opinion.

The constant barrage on television channels and screaming data of new patients and heavy tolls on front page of every newspaper was giving idea of how infection was spreading but it was scaring also. As per the campaign led insistence by the union health ministry, all five adult members of the family had down loaded the Arogya Setu application in their mobile phones. In the dire and dreadful circumstances in which the family was caught realized that the campaigned move was merely a show piece. It could not detect disease or infection based on oral answers by the mobile owner. Physical examination was necessary and the conclusion of the examining medic was the final judgment.

The family summoned the persons with political clout to use in case needed when old suffering man as taken to other government hospital. To their surprise he immediately moved for examining the patient and confirmed that the old man was severely infected but he was in no position to provide the needed facility with Intensive Care Unit equipped room as all were already occupied. Politely he suggested to move the old man immediately to another hospital with ICU room. Jaishankar Gupta senior journalist and president of the Press Association pleaded with him with subtle hint or rather concealed threat that he could even approach the high political authority to instruct to the doctor. Without getting perturbed or disturbed the medic threw both his hand open to ask Jaishankar Gupta to get the political authority to come and find the place in the hospital. His parting shot was disturbing as he said that the old man was in the advanced stage and therefore find him a bed in All India Institute of Medical Sciences. Jaishankar could sense by now that the health minister was merely a name plate and real power was in the Prime Minister’s office. Gupta managed to get word of the bigwig of the institute to get old Barnwal accommodated even in the passage with oxygen supply mechanism. Barnwal succumbed next day to aggravation of his debilities. The family returned home to find young daughter-in-law burning in fever as the old man had unknowingly infected as he was in home for 15 days after he had caught infection. She was rushed to hospital and next day to the crematorium. The young death was a rare phenomenon and caught the public eye but only to hurl abuses at the government for their woes and not to ponder over what was wrong so it could be corrected. Every death is a sad and tragic phenomenon but death of young is even more gruesome and tragic not only for the family but for all acquaintances.

As was generally criticized, a huge shortfall in availability of medical facility, particularly in dealing with pandemic spread. The shortfall was unavoidable due to paucity of resources. Even then 60 thousand graduates were emerging in last decade including few under the reservation category. From among successful candidates twenty thousand prefer to go abroad for further studies. The lack of modern gadgets for further studies provide them pretext but get absorbed in medical network of the country that is base of their further studies. That leaves the proportion of doctors per ten thousand of population to five. In normal periods, proportion is adequate. The shortage was palpable due to heavy influx of patients in need of medical attention and care.

No one knows who devised the futile scheme to relate the media care with the health bridge scheme and download was made compulsory by restricting entry into government offices, institutes, banks as well as for rail, bus and air travel. The bridge takes in oral answers to nine standard oral answers to questions fed in the digital system. Today, the private operators could not price the application and free download was permitted. But no one can guarantee it will not be converted into the paid service after the normality returns.