Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Calling health and education the “two essentials of a strong and civilised society,” Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat said here on Sunday said they must be simple, affordable and accessible to every citizen, without the barriers created by commercialisation and centralisation.
Speaking at the inauguration of the new Cancer Care Centre building at Madhav Srishti Arogya Kendra in Scheme No 54, Bhagwat warned that both sectors, once run on the principle of social service, were now largely profit-driven, putting them beyond the reach of ordinary people.
“A healthy body can achieve everything and education depends on health. But today both have become expensive and inaccessible. The number of schools and hospitals has not decreased, but the facilities have been centralised, forcing people to travel far and spend on accommodation and food in addition to treatment or learning,” Bhagwat said.
“The society needs medical treatment which is simple and accessible. Centralisation also happens due to commercialisation; it is the era of corporations, so the education gets affected.
Earlier, there were 70 educational centres in each province and people sent their children there for education. Now, students have to go far away for education. It is the same with medical treatment, because it has been centralised. When people go for medical treatment, there are expenses for accommodation and food, etc.”
“Many things happen in this course. That is why a simple, easy, and low-cost treatment is required. Its basic solution is that all this should be done with a feeling of service”, he said.
Recalls spirit of service in the past
Bhagwat shared a personal memory from his school days to illustrate the difference between then and now. “When I was a child and fell ill, my government school teacher visited me at home after three days of absence from school, to check on my health. On the fourth day, he even brought ‘jadi buti’ (herbal medicines) to help me recover quickly so that I could return to school. That was the culture of service teachers and doctors saw it as their duty to care for others. Today, this approach has been replaced by business-minded thinking,” he said.
Service and compassion as the solution
The RSS chief urged society to revive the service-oriented model, where both sectors functioned with compassion rather than profit motives. “When Dharma joins society, it teaches that those who are capable should help the needy until they can stand on their own and then help others in turn. Wealth and power should be used to bring a positive change and ensure welfare for all,” he said.
Bhagwat also stressed on the importance of emotional and financial support for patients. He shared the story of a cancer patient whom doctors had given three months to live.
The patient, burdened by a debt of Rs 10 lakh, was offered help by a friend who claimed to clear his debt entirely and promised further assistance.
This act of kindness, combined with strong willpower, helped the patient recover and lead a normal life.
“Further, the reality was that the person who promised help was not capable enough of providing such a huge amount but his support let the person get well and himself manage all his debts. Doctors must treat patients as if they are their own family,” Bhagwat emphasised.
“Health and education are not luxuries – they are the foundation of a thriving society,” he concluded, calling on communities, professionals and policymakers to work together to restore these sectors to their true purpose: serving the people.
The Cancer Care Centre at Madhav Srishti Arogya Kendra, inaugurated on Sunday, aims to be one such decentralised facility, offering treatment at low cost with a service-first approach. Bhagwat expressed hope that it would inspire similar initiatives across the country.
