K. R. Sethuraman
20 Cooperation is strength Father and Sons: An elderly man was worried that his sons were always
quarrelling with each other. He could not get them to live in harmony. One day,
he asked them to meet him with a bundle of sticks. He challenged them to break the
tightly tied bundle of sticks. They could not do so. However, when he undid the rope and gave them the sticks one at a time, the sticks could be broken with ease.
He advised them to remain united against the enemy. If they quarrelled and fell apart, they would be too weak to succeed in life. Comments Health care providers, care seeking public, the industry (diagnostic, therapeutic and
insurance), media, activists and governmental machinery are the six key players in health care delivery system.
Each key player of the system is like a stick. If all of them cooperate and stand
together to achieve the goal of ethical and effective health care for all, then the system will
be strong and functional. If each player sets his own agenda, forgetting the common goal, then the system will be weak and dysfunctional. Some examples of such deviations are: ď Ž ď Ž
Ignorant, corrupt or unethical health care provider.
Foolish, noncompliant or deviant behaviour by the care seeker. 64
