International National Seminar on Asian Community and its Development in Asia

Health Care Access, Education and Mutual Co-operation Foundations for Asian Community Development
Dr. Viroopaksha V. Jaddipal, Ph.D. ICCR Visiting Professor on Indian Studies,

Universitas Gadja Madah

vvjaddipal@gmail.com

Gitanjali [Bouquet of Flowers] by Shri Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;
Where knowledge is free ;

Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls; Where words come out from the depth of truth;

Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection; Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is led forward by Thee to ever-widening thought and action Into that heaven of freedom, my father, let my country awake.

 Ayam nijah paro veti ganana laghucetasam / Udaaracaritanaam tu vasudhaiva kutumbakam //

"This person is my kin and that one is alien, such a thought occurs only to the narrowminded persons. To the broad-minded persons, the whole world is a family

This quotation is highly relevant in the context of this international seminar, as to catch the development Mantra, we Asians must follow the pronouncement of Gurudev Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection Where the mind is led forward to ever-widening thought and action and finally vasudhaiva kutumbakam.

 Many thinkers, including great economists, think that Human development, as an approach, is concerned with advancing the richness of human life, rather than the richness of the economy in which human beings live.

I think the development of Asian community depends on three critical aspects-Those are 1. Health Care access and Food security
2. Infrastructure and Human Resources Development through Educational attainment and skill improvement

3. Continued mutual faith, understanding, harmony and co-operation among Asian Countries

Dr Mahbub ul Haq (1934-1998), the founder of Human Development Index, and Prof. Amartya Sen Professor [of Economics, Harvard University, Nobel Laureate in Economics, 1998] opine thus on the question of development;

"The basic purpose of development is to enlarge people's choices. In principle, these choices can be infinite ------- greater access to knowledge, better nutrition and health services, more secure livelihoods, security against crime and physical violence, satisfying leisure hours, political and cultural freedoms and sense of participation in community activities. The objective of development is to create an enabling environment for people to enjoy long, healthy and creative lives."

The human progress?

The human progress, notably recognized through the Human Development Index [HDI] of UNDP, a United Nations Organ for development process. The Human Progress or Development is a composite measure that includes indicators along three dimensions: life expectancy due to health care access, educational attainment, and command over the resources needed for a decent living.

MUCH HUMAN PROGRESS, PARTICULARLY IN LOW HDI COUNTRIES

Avg. Annual Growth rate 2000-12 lowest HDI Spread highest vs.

1. Life Expectancy due to health care access and Food security

One of the principal components of the HDI is life expectancy. In 2012, average life expectancy was 70.1 years, with wide differences across HDI groups: 59.1 years in low HDI countries and 80.1 years in very high HDI countries.

Differences across countries are even wider, with a low of 48.1 years in Sierra Leone and a high of 83.6 years in Japan. The South Asias life expectancy is about 66 years.

Another important sensitive indicators of human well-being, is child survival. Poor child health can permanently damage a childs cognitive development and later affect any type of economic productivity as an adult.

 Concept of Health and Health Care Access World Health Organization has defined health as follows Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Indian Ayurvedic text Sushrutasamhita defined Health as such; Sam dosha- samagnisca samdhatu-malakriyah/ Prasannatmendriyamanaah swatha ityabhidhiyate// A person is Healthy (svastha) when all three doshas (bioenergy) and agni (metabolic process) are in balance, excretions are in proper order, and atman (soul), senses and manas (intellect) are in perfect harmony with internal mechanism and outside world.

Alternative Health Care

People in Asia are suffering due to various diseases for which medical scientists are finding solutions and diagnosing according to the situation by their research.

In the economically progressive world, but, there are silent diseases like BP, Diabetes, Stress and psycho-somatic problems which are attacking and weakening the man from all sides.
The quality of human life has suffered.

Peace and Understanding

In many countries around the world people with extreme poverty are suffering due to war, lack of food, lack of drinking water and clean environment. However, due to efforts of sensitive Governments and UN Programs, many problems are tackled in time. Warring nations are brought on dialogue table and alternative school are established, people are being fed in temporary shelters, under extreme distress.

March 2013 HD Report

The 2013 Human Development Report, released in March 2013 hails better than expected progress on health, wealth and education in dozens of developing countries but says inaction on climate change, deforestation, and air and water pollution could end gains in the world's poorest countries and communities.

2.

Infrastructure and Human Resources Development through Educational attainment as well as skill enhancement through constant training. Years of Quality Schooling; main factor The development of any nation depends on the quality of schooling, which prepares the citizens for the services of nation. The schooling not only gives literacy, very well it gives a shield against poverty by enkindling oneself for desire to live quality life in future and it insures against future disasters of life, if any.

Mr Kofi Annan, seventh secretary-general of the United Nations, said-

Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope. It is a tool for daily life in modern society. It is a bulwark against poverty, and a building block of development, an essential complement to investments in roads, dams, clinics and factories. .. Literacy is, finally, the road to human progress and the means through which every man, woman and child can realize his or her full potential

Quality Education key factor for Human Resources Development

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Developments Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) collects internationally compatible data on the educational attainment of students and allows for cross-country comparison of average learning scores, share of low-performing schools and consistency of quality outcomes

 In the most recent PISA, conducted in 63 countries and territories in 2009, many countries showed impressive strides in quality of learning outcomes. Students from Shanghai, China, outperformed students from 62 countries in reading, mathematics and science skills.

 They were followed by students from the Republic of Korea, Finland and Hong Kong, China (SAR) in reading; Singapore, Hong Kong, China (SAR) and the Republic of Korea in mathematics; and Finland, Hong Kong, China (SAR) and Singapore in science.

Developing Infrastructure, Income and human development

Another essential component of human development is command over resources, as measured by income per capita capacity to build infrastrure. The highest average annual growth in income per capita was recorded in China and Equatorial Guinea, both over 9%. Only 12 countries surpassed 4% growth, while 19 saw income per capita fall.

At 17th ASEAN Finance Ministers Meeting, Sri Mulyani Indrawati said Investing in infrastructure and education to enhance the potential growth rate of their economies should be the target of Asian nations.

MASSIVE EXPANSION OF THE GLOBAL MIDDLE CLASS

1990 (1.8 billion) 2020 (3.2 billion)

2030 (4.9 billion)

Europe and North America Asia-Pacific Central and South America Rest of the World

A CHANGING WORLD

 The income of a nation from tax sources and enhancement of per capita income by savings made by people has to be used to build infrastructure for long run necessities of people, to up-lift the national building process. The Human resources development and infrastructure building must go hand in hand to build a nation.

Present Scenario

Thursday's report says more than 40 countries have done better than previously expected on the UN's human development index (HDI), which combines measures of health, wealth and education, with gains accelerating over the past decade. Some of the largest countries including Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, South Africa and Turkey have made the most rapid advances.

PROACTIVE DEVELOPMENTAL
STATES

1
3

Commitment to

long-term human
development

2
4

Actively promoting

job creation

Enhancing public investment in health

Nurturing
industrial capacities
DRIVERS

and education

TAPPING GLOBAL MARKETS

1
3

Investment in people to make the best

of trade opportunities

2 infrastruct
Investing in

Expanding ino non-

ure to
facilitate market access
DRIVERS

traditional markets

COST OF INACTION: POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ON POVERTY

NEW INSTITUTIONS, NEW MECHANISMS

Infrastructure development banks New institutions can facilitate regional integration and South-South relationships
$6.84 trillion

A new South Commission

$3.36 trillion

IMPLICATIONS

 The UN, HD Report says, but there has also been substantial progress in smaller economies, such as Bangladesh, Chile, Ghana, Mauritius, Rwanda and Tunisia. This has prompted significant rethinking on routes to progress, says the report: "The south as a whole is driving global economic growth and societal change for the first time in centuries."

3. Continued mutual faith, understanding, harmony and co-operation among Asian Countries
The Asian countries have historical relation through the ages in culture, education, trade and mutual cooperation. That needs to be strengthened further for rapid progression and to remove difficulties of people. The people to people contact needs to be more common among the Asian countries so that faithfulness of nations grows along with the co-operation of nations. This is the corner stone for development of Asian countries.

PRIORITIES FOR A NEW ERA

Rising economic strength must be matched by a full commitment to human development

LDCs can learn and benefit from the success of emerging economies Greater representation for the South and CSOs can accelerate progress on major global challenges In a more connected world, the South continues to need the North and the North now needs the South as well

In conclusion I would like to say that Health Care Access, Education and Mutual Co- operation are the foundations for Asian Community in achieving the all round Development. May all live happily and peacefully, May all enjoy good health, May all see auspiciousness, May none experience distress, May peace prevail everywhere