r to wrestle soda has been out on the streets of the sudanese capital covering the place you are now in the boat, a difficulty capital cartoon. and people have started together here around 1 pm. a lot of time, which is the usual practice for this broadcast over this broadcast today, is taking place on a working. they're usually the broadcast, these on the, on the weekends and the brother, this is the reason that they decided to now gone down to progress on the working days is to mark this is the 4th army to mark the country. so for a while here, this is one of the 3, but there are several other places, a protest of security forces finding, interfering, people. there are 2, we're fighting that to you guys when people are shooting and it did these 1st dam. meanwhile, us secretary state down to the blink and says, sudan can regain support from the international community if the military listening to the demands of the protest as he was speaking during a visit to nairobi where he was discussing a number of regional issues, lincoln held talks at kenya's, presidents high on the agenda was the conflict in ethiopia as well fighting there has escalated in recent week. and these 10 people been killed during twin bombing, the thin dennison's capital. the explosions happened in a she, a neighborhood in western cobble. they did have germany and delivery again, discuss the crisis on the border between batteries and poland. refugees and migrants have been trying to crop into the you from delivery on tuesday, police in poland, fire water, cannon, to keep them out. and the city of the hall and pakistan has been named as the most polluted in the world. people are urging the government to save them from the worsening quality. and in new delhi neighboring india, schools and colleges have been shut indefinitely due to that intense smoke. those are your headlines more on india next with context india ah, ah ah, hello and welcome to context india. i'm free, the souls are coming to you from them by context. india, re take the time to deliver a considered analysis of this country. politics and the people in each episode in the cities were taking a close look at a specific facet of what has perhaps been the biggest crisis india has faced since independence covered pandemic. this our 4th and final episode, we are examining the indian health gas sector that crumbled under the pressure of the 2nd wave. of course 19. we will be looking at issues of insufficient investment and public health care. the severe shortage of oxygen in many parts of the country and india vaccine policy. i'll be speaking with case which i have our former secretary of health for the government of india and sudan shumate the national spokesperson of the b g p. at the close of this episode will be an excerpt from a piece of music created in india through the call with month. this week with featuring when job be in the single people are in use in april and me 2021 indian social media space was flooded with messages like these ah, is hold . the 2nd wave of cove it in india was wreaking havoc and it seemed as though the country's health care system was going under. the 1st of may 2021. these were the tweets being posted by hospitals in the capital new delhi. ah, we have just please so everyone knows i'm not into that goes over the next 10 minutes. that would also them out about half an hour after this video message was issued by the executive director of a private hospital in new delhi. 12 patients there died when the oxygen ran out. it wasn't the 1st time during the 2nd wave that a lack of oxygen resulted in depth. the delta variant off the corona virus double charged the spread of cove it in india. in the 1st half of 2021 health care systems around the world have struggled with the virus. in 2020, there was stories of metrics in new york wedding, garbage bags, s p p in the u. k. in january 2021. so we're just, we're deployed to chronically understaffed intensive care wards in the same month, regions in brazil struggled with oxygen shortages and critically low hosp capacity . however, the crisis in india's health care sector was off of magnitude the country hadn't seen before. the delta v into loan doesn't explain a seaman collapse of so many hospitals at the most crucial fain off the find demik indian health care system. and mrs. random struck it did have some strength in the sense that the primary system was established right. independence. but what do you kinetic quickly the sauce? and repeated the same page to the functions it needed to over time, but it was still neglected from the very beginning. and then it was reminded that there would be adequate number of doctors in december. and so the help desk system and really impact between a funded neglected system and the private sector. watson fi. there is also a deep dependence on the site, which is not the portion of the debris in the country. so what we ended up with is on one hand, a sub optimal care that is provided in the system. and on the other hand, you have the private sector, which will be on profit driven breathing in a regular to back compared with many other countries. india, whether the 1st 3, the coded, well, the government implemented the largest lockdown in the world, which despite creating chaos, due to a sudden announcement helps contain case numbers. what happened after the 1st week, however, very likely contributed to the intensity of the 2nd wave. it was in the 2nd wave that the biggest challenge was a combination of several factors. first of all, we had some of the the level of preparation that remote in the latter half of the temporary hospitals started can be dismantled. and then we also saw defect of state ordination because i meant it and said, because of that idea of reasons, not the least of which was that because election was off and the wireless so, but i went to travel across india with the large crowds deserting festivals. but just gathering and for the election. and at this stage, the variance also gave it a key element of the global covered response strategy has been immunization, dr. india vaccine. manufacturing capacity is one of the highest in the world and supplies from india. what a crucial factor in the plans put together by many countries for their own vaccination campaign. i've got to look at, or he just walked a young man with the coven, 19 vaccines, global access, a callback program, backed by the world health organization. and unicef signed agreements with india in august and september 2020 for 200000000 doses of vaccine medication. in february 2021. the director general of the w h teacher this oh my media for 2021. india had deleted and sold a combined total of $66000000.00 doses to nearly 100 countries. india domestic vaccination drive in the early months of 2021 had been slow compared to other countries. but the 2nd wave demanded action. on the 25th of march, india halted all exposed to vaccine. those supplies were needed to meet domestic demand, bringing the immunization network up to full capacity in a short period of time was not easy though. there were many changes that need to the back to the nation. and along the me there were many edwards, for lack of ation when it came to the production of the back, the in which lead to which ration are shortages and schools down. dive at these pages. now, the controversial aspect of the vaccination policy has been how the government has chosen to add base points and boards in that phoenician that policy announced in mid april 2021 meant the private hospitals were allowed to purchase and administer vaccine by august. however, the health minister months went out, reported in parliament, and only 79 percent of the vaccines reserved for private healthcare companies were being utilized. a key reason for the lack of uptake was cost. many indians were reluctant to pay high prices being charged by private hospitals for vaccines that were being administered for free by the seats. less than 6 months since the peak of the 2nd wave, of course, in the country. india's immunization drive had made up a remarkable amount of ground. according to government data, at the start of october 2021. 925000000 doses have been administered in the country . in an effort to expand distribution, jones were being tried out to deliver vaccines to remote location and with domestic production capabilities. having increased, india was able to review exporting vaccines. but the strength to the destination drive, which is one of the not just one, it is created, they hide the redness about who they did. that's the nation is the public. another outcome is that urgency to drive a lot of health care workers and other kinds of district administrator on staff you've been with us have been in this state and have been working with me for the success of the program. we've also achieved to some degree keep your strength for distribution of axioms, while the scale and strength of india vaccination work has been noteworthy. the 2nd wave expose the chronic under investment and inequality in the countries health care system. overall. in the aftermath, specialists and policy advisors have advocated a boost in state funding the bus to the kids. we have seen public financing of health stagnate around one percent of the gross domestic product. it has risen now in the recent years that is too high out of pocket spending, that number of people resulting in quality. so we do need much help financing at least 3 percent of the g d p. as somebody financing these are that on the white bill in the midst of the health system, which is a function of me, whether it's just been trucks and supplies and particularly to help us not fall into place. cova devastated numerous countries. but in the us experience, especially during the 2nd wave, was one of the most shocking pandemic audios. because impact both in the shot and the long term will be significant, especially so in the house. and so i'm discussing the challenges in the faces with case just for my secretary of health for the government of india, and so on to middle national spokesperson of the b j. p. welcome to context india. my 1st question is to the both of you, india has an ad livable record when dealing with the likes of polio small box. why is it then that we weren't able to deal with the pandemic? better this route? yeah, you're right. that you know, we do tremendous job in dealing with those to spend and makes and also and yeah, we've done by the infection, but the spend to make the betty betty injection and also very nice and part of the submit the my opening question to you as well, given india expertise and dealing with help and that makes why didn't india deals with the fund? i mean, better if you look at the, you know, maybe of the mix, it's not just india this by 2 guys. words by surprise. if you look at the develop economies develop can face look at how many, that's the head. good. how many kisses they had a look at how many came bits which to miss linda. so to say that india did not handle it, is it on? yes, because the to something that was completely unknown to the guy was and if you look at junk, actually that's weird. given the size of the indian population, because really all the number of cases of the size of the population, david said, he merged, i mean, secondly, are you donna on a competitive scale indented validity? look at, look at the look at the number of explanations. in guy's been, it will cheat. so in the perspective, if you look at how things have happened and i just don't, i think we've done and admittedly just of it. so your argument that this was an unknown may have been true in the fust wave of 2020, but in the 2nd maybe 2021. we had a very clear idea of what this virus was and how it moved around. and let me, if i may please call out some statistics according to the un human development report. 2020 india ranked 155 out of 167 countries on hospital bed availability. according to data by the union health ministry, march 17, 2020. we had one docked up on 11600 indians. the statistics show that we could have been better prepared if our health care was stronger, which it was not mr. smith. i did do 2 different t sheila dressy. one is the infrastructure of the country being 1st to cover countries. there were moved in 6 months. one the other? yes. so yes, in the ag village population and given it to call me has, elliptic, was in the infrastructure loaded island that the issue is, how did we deal with the 2nd week? i mean these up proportions which nobody in the world and a discipline, that is an infrastructure you should be taught because in good be good looking. he currently has its limitations. but looking at the infrastructure of it was available and looking at the vaccination, which has been the vaccination for them as it's a successful. and that is that the containment of what would have been the 3rd the south? do you agree with mr. mit those argument? him have to disagree. yes. this was a new wires that it does very shocked me. and it's not that bad for that back and much wants to beg for the checking. the status is of course on given the fact that's not done yet, you've gone so one might be also saw a new check or in between ad date you was up in june. she again back in december. so we ought to have expected the 2nd baby and whatnot. so this is, it was denied me a lot complacency that the 2nd phase. now when i say why is that? yes it's true. is making giant because when did you go over the last 7? 7, you know what? up from 97. you got the amount we spend on the so me continues to be. but one reason why you, me fancy will that and we have the capacity on the student that was because of the of the care not being bit of the can you just ship not being in india, it was given by technica the word was not pub specialist advising the pm, advising the makers, and seen it several steps which would even be foreseen by any public. well, you know, there was some nice for that. and this is not what i was about months made by. when did you get me? does that? when you see that it's a nice he looks back to that, don't give it back down. but in that we forget that we need to see what happens again. but as the why as a point, i would like to say that, that we need to be more ambler, i've experienced it too many of the gets and softening. what have you not? why did we put out we had to get back in the not need, you need to me to have them better if only the need to ship one out space. and if that lesson is not, then i would say is experienced is not lost on us. mr. metal during the 2nd wave, people want just dying of cove. it, they were reportedly dying off a shortage of oxygen and a shortage of hospital beds. what responsibility does the central government bear for that? you know, as i said, the in a degree has confessed to this a legacy issue. really poor opposed to like 2 of the government of the day would be, was kind of fed. you don't work. good. make hospitalization a day. i mean it's, it's not like political update. the government did velander, not only the central government, i would say the state governments today equally rel, inside a let's see when you are planning, you would look at the 1st think if 1000 cases that is much you would say probably what can it what we can go to put, told him, could go 214008 can go 260000. you don't anticipate that it will go to prepare for what it in a city really, when you get the statistics of this but a 1000000 bar population on it. yes. if you the fact the scanty has inadequate infrastructure because it's a developing country, it has limited resources. these resources are spent on. i'll take that back. oh, did we respond to the challenge? is the most important issue is there was an oxygen shorted because nobody anticipated that the strength of an oxygen requirement would be that i'm not saying you just the government did this, neil pollution government this? no, no, i'm not getting it collected because i think every government and i think the on the situation, maybe it's the best effort to least attack with the issue was they did, they could have been, they were the lazy list. where as i said, there's no benchmark of protection. yes. things could always have been better for if you but didn't was the sincerity years they look at it. it was a little like is it was was i think i'll be seated. yes, that is it. i think to miss ross, who has worked with the health ministry for over 2 decades, mr. out, if you want to respond to mr. you know, mr. with those point, that was no way to predict the number of cases that our cities actually saw creep up on a daily basis. you know, they did the fact and i agree with that that you could never get be expected deductible point. even the best chance is like you had was all the patients bought. this g is largely because the way it does apply mark is, is that well, yes, it still would never expect the kind of demand for that came up before it was maybe on the expected ben, debbie. but we don't want to have been ready. the problem is that god more was so what he done did was not without, we didn't know what motley and back went to bring in the complex and then they get bogged. well, why do you and they do not expect it. and that may be, and that's the reason why you ought to be transparent, and i'll get on the best buy more data being made available in the public domain for better birth from the kind of wondering if that's the best decision. what is julia defensive or so? yes, it was already me. i do a fucking is something that you're not as long as you get what you did. what was the foot that you know, it was not. and had we been aware of what happened, we were at the bed like you are not with me, this is what we want to document that we don't get something down in november, december again, every month. i mean that's what we're based off of the submittal question. for you and i'm reading out of the new york times dated september 14, 2021, which said senior officials from the government forced scientists that leap institutions to downplayed the threat of coven, to prioritize mr. moore, these political goals. what is your response to this? i think it is a sauce venom being stood new york times has never pushing the risk of me when it came to 7 and a half like bits. and he worse new york times have questioned the government. i believe that's a factual letter. you know, i, boss deacons, very easy. i can make any kind of feeling issues. it must be something which is backed by an embedded, collaborative. it is backed by something, amir statement me, when you become trusted. so when you look at are, says you look at the office with facts simply because i am ready to concede that these were not things which could have been anticipated. missed out of i come back to you to respond to mr. patel. do you also believe that the government to defend job in making those decisions, you're not want to get into the game? i do that even the best of somebody to talk about the nature of the fact that they get the way out. but having said that, there was some situations that been said you had to one and more time for the meeting and discussions vaccine. i agree with you. well, i mean that shot, but only 25 percent of our population has johnson prediction. so this is a long way to go, and we achieved a much better the previous ambition of the prime minister to have a lot of back pay by december. what happened and i had, we did what we did in the ad redone it. we're back last year in november and in january, 4th and the back. but i saw that there was some steps that would that be picking up my question to mister misses, of all of the decisions being needs by government. now do you think we are adequately prepared for the thought of anything else that might hit on public health sector? i think the piece will be putting a gina cheating via d. tolliver's hit a lot of contents, holligan's affecting, engaged for everybody to see. and the reason why it has been contained is largely because of the vaccination program, which the country yes and the ticket. i would also say that because of the per, we're been content. it has given the initial confidence that the design law for fighting up and the minister break up and then it can be success me. so if, if you have the it is all over the domain should go to the content. sean and i may be optimistic, guy. derby listens, which are this unexpected go head to unknown disease has. so given the initial build, those lessons, i mean, well understood when they learned and they're becoming dandy people of this country . okay, great. thank you both for speaking to a saw and for giving us your time. and finally, there are multitude of artists in india who created works through the long months of the pandemic. we wanted to feature some of the very languages they walk in and the perspectives they bring. this week, we're closing for the next up to for song intern, jobby. titled ma hummadi translates to pandemic. it was written and performed by the boulevard mark. thank you for watching context india here and out to us english . i with oh, i got a a, a, an issue with ah, a bullet b, the capital of puffy giddy is ranked one of the most dangerous things in the world . one, a one east investigate the violent games. instilling fear on the street. on l. g 0 with a guest with ah, a crackdown on protest is in sudan lake, several dead as activists announced a new sit in cartoon. ah, come all the santa maria here in doha. this is the world news from al jazeera, the weeks of being pushed around at the poland to better support some refugees.