US president Barack Obama's annual health check revealed his marginally high cholesterol level, though he received an A-OK stamp from his doctor overall. The entire American nation, it appears, was awaiting the results of his health exam with bated breath. It transpired that Obama is in good shape, though his love for cigarettes and pudding seems to be a cause for concern. The well-being of a president is of particular concern to Americans, if their anticipation over Obama's medical check-up is any indication. And when one considers that John McCain's presidential campaign hit a roadblock when his previous health problems became an issue, it is all too clear that for the Americans, the health of their elected leader is no laughing matter.
Compare this to the attitude of our nation when, last year, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh underwent heart surgery. There was some hand-wringing, and non-stop coverage at the time, but what's happened in the ensuing months? Nothing. No assurances have been sought or received over the health of the PM. All the more reason this practice of annual health checks be institutionalized in India too, at least for the PM and his council of ministers. These are the men and women in charge of running the country, after all. Shouldn't they have at least a certificate of good health before they take on such a mammoth task?
The country's political leadership holds our future in their hands. They should be fit enough to govern not just figuratively, but in a literal sense. The former doesn't matter if ministers are physically too weak to hold office and execute the plans they have made. As public officials their health records should be in the public domain, available for anyone to see. If the health of these politicos is made public, they might be motivated to actually adopt healthier lifestyles. And promote them in the rest of the population as well.
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