Facelift welcome, but affordability crucial

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An iconic Malabar Hill healthcare facility is marking 100 years this year. Milestone celebrations are going to be held in November, a report in this paper said. What it also said in detail was that the hospital is going in for a revamp of its B wing; the A wing had already been revamped a few years earlier.

There is excitement and anticipation which is justifiable, and sealing the deal in a centenary year is doubly special. Locals have praise for the medical facility and there is a lot of response, prime among which is that the facility is affordable. We must acknowledge that while affordable may be different things to different people, affordable is one adjective cited to describe the facility.

We hope that it remains so after the revamp. This should hold true for all medical centres which may be going in for upgrades but then at times price themselves out of the range of the demographic, and bills skyrocket, making previously relatively easy-on-the-pocket amenities out of reach for many.

While we use healthcare as the peg, this also applies to many amenities and facilities also in transport or entertainment. Facelifts are necessary and surely give an enhanced experience to people. They may also need funds and recovering that from people may be justifiable but we have to see that prices do not go through the roof. This means that the new, upgraded facility strikes a balance. Prices may increase, but one must keep a median in mind and the human factor must play a part. Plan to recover expenses through the years and do not impose hikes that burn a hole through the pocket. We, as a city, must be one with amenities accessible to most or all; inclusivity also means all across social strata. While this may sound Utopian, let us strive to achieve this through a system of checks and balances.