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23 August 2024 at 9:59:04 pm

Fatal Negligence

Newborns dying in a fire inside a government hospital is a devastating indictment of a system that is supposed to protect its most vulnerable patients. The Amravati District Women’s Hospital tragedy, where a blaze killed three infants, joins a long list of preventable institutional failures. Thirty-nine babies were inside the three-compartment facility when the fire erupted after a ventilator in the neonatal unit caught fire. Thirty-six were eventually rescued. Parents and eyewitnesses have...

Fatal Negligence

Newborns dying in a fire inside a government hospital is a devastating indictment of a system that is supposed to protect its most vulnerable patients. The Amravati District Women’s Hospital tragedy, where a blaze killed three infants, joins a long list of preventable institutional failures. Thirty-nine babies were inside the three-compartment facility when the fire erupted after a ventilator in the neonatal unit caught fire. Thirty-six were eventually rescued. Parents and eyewitnesses have alleged that the fire alarms did not sound and the automatic sprinklers failed to activate even as the district administration has said the hospital underwent regular fire audits and had applied for this year’s audit. An audit is meaningful only if it establishes that equipment works when lives depend on it. Maharashtra has already witnessed the deadly consequences of fire-safety failures in public hospitals. In 2021, eleven Covid-19 patients died in a fire at the Ahmednagar district hospital even though a fire audit conducted months earlier had recommended a firefighting system. The Amravati tragedy demands more than the familiar ritual of a high-level inquiry, compensation and promises of “strictest action”. The announcement of ex gratia payments cannot compensate parents who have lost a child they had barely begun to know. The investigation must establish not merely what ignited the fire, but why it was allowed to become fatal. Was the ventilator properly maintained? Were electrical and medical devices routinely inspected? Did alarms function? Were sprinklers operational? Was the NICU appropriately located and equipped for evacuation? Were staff trained and drills conducted? And most importantly, who was responsible for ensuring that every safeguard worked? There is another troubling detail: the neonatal unit was reportedly housed on the third floor, rather than at ground level, and questions have arisen over whether the unit was part of the building’s original plan. The state has built an elaborate architecture of laws and child-protection standards which seldom matches the situation on ground. Whether in government hospitals, schools or anganwadis, safety has become a box to be ticked rather than a responsibility to be lived. The most vulnerable children are consequently left dependent not on systems, but on the vigilance and heroism of individual staff members. That is an appalling way to run the childcare infrastructure of one India’s most developed states. A NICU is perhaps the worst possible place for institutional complacency: its patients are immobile, medically dependent and extraordinarily vulnerable to smoke, heat and even brief disruption of life-support equipment. The government must ensure that the Amravati deaths do not become another entry in the grim ledger of hospital tragedies followed by inquiries, outrage and forgetting. The real test will be whether the state can prevent the next newborn from dying in a hospital that was supposed to save him.

The power of investing

AI generated image
AI generated image

Bengaluru: Imagine a young professional walking into a coffee shop every morning. He orders a cappuccino for Rs.120. It is a harmless indulgence, repeated almost without thought. Now imagine another young professional who skips that coffee and instead invests Rs.100 every day into an equity mutual fund through a Systematic Investment Plan (SIP).


Twenty-five years later, the difference between the two decisions is transformational. The first professional has consumed thousands of cups of coffee. The second may have quietly built a corpus worth more than a crore of rupees.


Investors often spend enormous amounts of time chasing stock tips, market predictions and the next “multi-bagger” opportunity. Yet history repeatedly demonstrates that wealth is more often created through consistency than brilliance. The most successful investors are not necessarily those who make spectacular bets but those who remain disciplined for decades.


A daily SIP of Rs. 100 may appear insignificant. Many people spend more than that on snacks, online subscriptions or impulse purchases. However, when invested regularly over long periods, even small sums can produce surprising outcomes.


Consider the mathematics. An investor contributing Rs.100 a day for 25 years would invest a total of roughly Rs. 7.5 lakh. Assuming annualised returns of 12 percent, the corpus could grow to about Rs. 42 lakh. At 13 percent, it could approach Rs. 50 lakh. At 14 percent, the amount rises to nearly Rs. 58 lakh, while a 15 percent return could generate around Rs. 68 lakh.


The impact becomes even more striking as the daily contribution increases. A Rs. 200 daily SIP, amounting to a total investment of Rs. 15 lakh over 25 years, could potentially grow to between Rs. 85 lakh and Rs. 1.37 crore depending on returns. A Rs. 500 daily SIP may create wealth of over Rs. 2 crore, while a Rs. 1,000 daily investment could potentially build a corpus ranging from Rs. 4 crore to nearly Rs. 7 crore over the same period.


These estimates assume investments are made on roughly 300 days a year over 25 years. The exact figures may vary, but a modest increase in returns creates a disproportionately large increase in wealth when time is allowed to work its magic. In investing, time is often the most valuable asset. This is why young investors enjoy a tremendous advantage.


When Warren Buffett was once asked about the secret of wealth creation, the answer was not merely intelligence. It was time. A 25-year-old investing Rs.100 daily has something more valuable than capital. He has a 25-year runway. Every year of delay diminishes the power of compounding.


Investment Headstart

Consider two friends. Ravi begins investing at 25, while Priya waits until 35. Both invest similar amounts and earn comparable returns. Yet Ravi’s ten-year head start often results in a substantially larger corpus, even if Priya later invests more aggressively. The lesson is simple. The best time to start investing is not when one becomes wealthy. It is when one begins earning.


Unfortunately, many first-time investors postpone investing because they believe they need large sums of money to begin. That assumption often creates paralysis. A daily SIP changes the psychology of investing. Instead of asking, “Can I invest Rs. 50,000?” the question becomes, “Can I invest Rs.100 today?” The smaller question is far easier to answer.


Behavioural finance has long shown that habits matter. People who begin with manageable amounts are more likely to remain invested through market cycles and periods of volatility. Small SIPs reduce emotional stress because the commitment feels affordable and sustainable. Investors are less likely to panic during market corrections. Over time, confidence grows alongside the corpus, and volatility gradually becomes less intimidating.


This approach can benefit a wide range of people. Young professionals beginning their careers can cultivate financial discipline early. Students earning part-time income can learn the habit of investing before major financial responsibilities arise. Middle-income families can pursue long-term wealth creation without disrupting household budgets, while gig workers and freelancers may find small-ticket investments particularly suited to irregular income streams.


The strategy is equally relevant for parents. A modest SIP started when a child is born can grow substantially over 15 or 20 years and help fund higher education, overseas studies, entrepreneurship or provide a financial head start in adulthood. Grandparents and guardians may also view such investments as a lasting legacy, allowing the power of compounding to become an inheritance in itself. Parents can gradually increase contributions as incomes rise, but the crucial step is often simply to begin. In investing, starting early frequently matters more than starting big. The objective is not merely wealth accumulation but habit formation.


Disclaimer: Mutual fund investments are subject to market risks. Please read all scheme-related documents carefully before investing.


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