"Two roads diverged in a wood and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
and that has made all the difference."
- Robert Frost 1920
I took the one less traveled by,
and that has made all the difference."
- Robert Frost 1920
“I slept and dreamed that life was a joy. I awoke up and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy” Rabindranath Tagore
Surinder Kaul
New Updates:
I seem to have exhausted all the topics that I had wanted to cover over the last 20 months. I am thinking of combining several articles and revising them into one comprehensive article. So watch for the new postings!
NB: This site was first published in July 2018. I would very much welcome any feedback for its continued improvements. Kindly go to the last page, Get in Touch, and complete a short survey. Thanks.
- This Week: Will COVID-19 Teach us anything .... (below)
I seem to have exhausted all the topics that I had wanted to cover over the last 20 months. I am thinking of combining several articles and revising them into one comprehensive article. So watch for the new postings!
- Beautiful guest in our balcony (26 Feb 2020) Other Interests > Bird Watching > Beautiful Guest ...
- Hug Farm > Bird watching Under other interests > Bird Watching > Lesser Whistling-ducks in Chiang Mai. (February 2020)
- Feel of Srilanka > Other Interests > Travelling (13-27 January, 2020);
- Fauna in Srilanks > Other Interests > Bird watching
- North Sumatra (November 4, 2019)
- Down Memory Lane. Under Other Interests > Photography (1 September, 2019)
NB: This site was first published in July 2018. I would very much welcome any feedback for its continued improvements. Kindly go to the last page, Get in Touch, and complete a short survey. Thanks.
Public Health Consultant
I am a public health physician with special interest in mother and child. Literature is full of evidence that if a girl child is nurtured with love and care, she grows into a woman, who in turn transfers the same love to her children; eventually responsible adults emerge contributing to a just society.
Public health has fascinated me. It is a hobby to me, not just a job. I can't believe I will ever have to retire!
The sole purpose of this website is to share my life’s experiences in Public Health with the hope that visitors to site may find some useful information for their own endeavors. An opportunity may also arise for a dialogue on some of the issues and possibility of further development of ideas and the solutions.
I was born and grew up in the Indian Himalayas, studied in Christian Medical College, Vellore, South India. I am fortunate to have worked as a public health consultant in more than 12 countries for the past 46 years. Presently, I work as a public health adviser to Lesotho Highlands Development Authority, Maseru, Lesotho.
I live in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Part of the reason for engaging in this exercise is also to keep my mind occupied with all past experiences; and how it may influence the present and the future, which belongs to the generations to come.
Public health has fascinated me. It is a hobby to me, not just a job. I can't believe I will ever have to retire!
The sole purpose of this website is to share my life’s experiences in Public Health with the hope that visitors to site may find some useful information for their own endeavors. An opportunity may also arise for a dialogue on some of the issues and possibility of further development of ideas and the solutions.
I was born and grew up in the Indian Himalayas, studied in Christian Medical College, Vellore, South India. I am fortunate to have worked as a public health consultant in more than 12 countries for the past 46 years. Presently, I work as a public health adviser to Lesotho Highlands Development Authority, Maseru, Lesotho.
I live in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Part of the reason for engaging in this exercise is also to keep my mind occupied with all past experiences; and how it may influence the present and the future, which belongs to the generations to come.
This week: Old Items: Home > Old Items.
Will COVID-19 teach us anything ….
Novel Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has brought this world to a standstill. Panic is setting in and people are going crazy. Markets are having a free fall and readying for a crash of the century. Realization, that we have relied on basic commodities (luxuries) and comforts of life for so long that we have no idea how to manage life in austerity.
Most significant dos and don’ts; social distancing, washing hands frequently, taking simple flu symptoms seriously, self-isolation and seeking medical advice are there everywhere and is not the purpose of this blog. However, for helpful information go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eup3_i_5uaw
But also look around and see what is happening! Attention is being drawn to the improved quality of air in big cities, in China and other parts of the world. Roads are empty and there is no queuing in banks. Most of the people are working from home. Waterways are cleaner, animals are freely roaming around because of lack of people around. See the point being made in the video below: https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-how-nature-is-reclaiming-its-spaces-due-to-coronavirus-287466
We are realizing today, what the life would be without clean water flowing through the taps, lights coming on the touch of a switch, internet access and ability to communicate with others at will etc. etc. But there is also a sinister side of us surfacing. Fights over toilet paper in supermarkets, hoarding at disproportionate levels without any concern for fellow beings, hundredfold price hikes of face masks and other essential items, the list goes on. On personal level, people are avoiding or even being aggressive, to someone who may appear to be a foreigner. The greed, ME and ME at all costs! Yesterday, I watched Sand Mining in the world on Aljazeera and how it is being depleted from the face of the earth, including from the sea beds. How the flora and fauna are being affected and international agencies taking little action to address the problem. There are many other related issues affecting us, especially the serious environmental impacts.
It is a grim irony in China that the statute for public health emerged simultaneously with the outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19). Eric Clp summarizes China’s new public health constitution.[1] The law is basically a charter for public health and a cause for hope to implement healthy China by 2030. It includes basic health services offered by state and society, in relation to disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment, nursing and rehabilitation free of charge. Skeptics are however having doubts on the law taking full effect without momentous modifications in the broader Chinese legal and political systems. However, China’s efforts are commendable and countries must learn from this direction rather than blaming and finding faults with China for everything. (see this website Old Items 2019 > What can India learn from China: October 5, 2019)
Would COVID-19 wake us up and force us to think or will we forget about it if things return to normal. Hope that we will learn from this experience and consider changing our lifestyle and the world; not just for us, but for our children and the future generations to come.
Finally, of course social distancing and washing hands are important for slowing down the pandemic but we must learn from this awakening call, how we plan to live after this disaster, if we survive through it!
References:
[1] Eric Clp. China’s new public health constitution: a cause for hope? Lancet Public health. March 17, 2020.
Discussion on the article is encouraged.
This page will continue to discuss public health issues in future articles.
Please write to: mail@surinderkaul.com
Novel Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has brought this world to a standstill. Panic is setting in and people are going crazy. Markets are having a free fall and readying for a crash of the century. Realization, that we have relied on basic commodities (luxuries) and comforts of life for so long that we have no idea how to manage life in austerity.
Most significant dos and don’ts; social distancing, washing hands frequently, taking simple flu symptoms seriously, self-isolation and seeking medical advice are there everywhere and is not the purpose of this blog. However, for helpful information go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eup3_i_5uaw
But also look around and see what is happening! Attention is being drawn to the improved quality of air in big cities, in China and other parts of the world. Roads are empty and there is no queuing in banks. Most of the people are working from home. Waterways are cleaner, animals are freely roaming around because of lack of people around. See the point being made in the video below: https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-how-nature-is-reclaiming-its-spaces-due-to-coronavirus-287466
We are realizing today, what the life would be without clean water flowing through the taps, lights coming on the touch of a switch, internet access and ability to communicate with others at will etc. etc. But there is also a sinister side of us surfacing. Fights over toilet paper in supermarkets, hoarding at disproportionate levels without any concern for fellow beings, hundredfold price hikes of face masks and other essential items, the list goes on. On personal level, people are avoiding or even being aggressive, to someone who may appear to be a foreigner. The greed, ME and ME at all costs! Yesterday, I watched Sand Mining in the world on Aljazeera and how it is being depleted from the face of the earth, including from the sea beds. How the flora and fauna are being affected and international agencies taking little action to address the problem. There are many other related issues affecting us, especially the serious environmental impacts.
It is a grim irony in China that the statute for public health emerged simultaneously with the outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19). Eric Clp summarizes China’s new public health constitution.[1] The law is basically a charter for public health and a cause for hope to implement healthy China by 2030. It includes basic health services offered by state and society, in relation to disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment, nursing and rehabilitation free of charge. Skeptics are however having doubts on the law taking full effect without momentous modifications in the broader Chinese legal and political systems. However, China’s efforts are commendable and countries must learn from this direction rather than blaming and finding faults with China for everything. (see this website Old Items 2019 > What can India learn from China: October 5, 2019)
Would COVID-19 wake us up and force us to think or will we forget about it if things return to normal. Hope that we will learn from this experience and consider changing our lifestyle and the world; not just for us, but for our children and the future generations to come.
Finally, of course social distancing and washing hands are important for slowing down the pandemic but we must learn from this awakening call, how we plan to live after this disaster, if we survive through it!
References:
[1] Eric Clp. China’s new public health constitution: a cause for hope? Lancet Public health. March 17, 2020.
Discussion on the article is encouraged.
This page will continue to discuss public health issues in future articles.
Please write to: mail@surinderkaul.com