Health and education, once held as noble pursuits of public service, have become increasingly distant from the lives of ordinary Indians, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said on Sunday, voicing concern over their growing inaccessibility and commercial drift.
Speaking at the inauguration of the “Guruji Seva Nyas Cancer Care Centre” in Indore on Sunday, RSS chief Bhagwat lamented that institutions once guided by compassion and duty now operate under the weight of profit, leaving the common man excluded from basic entitlements.
“Health and education were once acts of ‘seva’ selfless service,” he remarked. “Today, they have been commodified to such an extent that they are neither affordable nor accessible.” He called for a renewed commitment to low-cost, community-rooted healthcare and education, urging society to reclaim these domains from market logic and restore their role as instruments of collective well-being.
In a trenchant reflection on India’s public services, he decried the creeping commercialisation of healthcare and education—two pillars of societal well-being that, he argued, have strayed from their original vocation of service.
The RSS chief called for a renewed commitment to low-cost, community-rooted healthcare that alleviates suffering rather than exacerbates it, urging a return to models of care that place human dignity above market calculus.
Drawing from personal memory, he recalled an incident from his childhood: “I had malaria and missed school for three days. My teacher came to my home, brought jungle herbs, and ensured I recovered.
He believed that a student’s well-being was his responsibility. That spirit of care must return to our society.” RSS chief Bhagwat highlighted the stark disparities in cancer care, noting that quality treatment is currently concentrated in only 8 to 10 cities across India.
“Medical treatment should not become a source of anxiety. We need healthcare that is both affordable and geographically accessible,” he said. On education, the RSS chief observed that students are still compelled to travel long distances for quality learning, mirroring the challenges faced by patients seeking advanced medical care.
“Education hubs have emerged, but they remain out of reach for many. Earlier, teaching was a duty now it is a business,” he remarked. He also cautioned against the blanket application of Western medical research, arguing that therapies must be tailored to individual and regional needs.
“Some respond to naturopathy, others to homeopathy. No single system is universally supreme. Indian medical traditions recognise this diversity,” he said. His remarks come amid growing national discourse on restoring equity and ethics in public services, especially in sectors vital to human dignity and development.
The newly inaugurated cancer care centre in Indore, operated by Guruji Seva Nyas under the Madhav Srishti healthcare project, represents a significant stride toward equitable medical access. Founded with the ethos of “seva” (service), the initiative aims to deliver high-quality cancer treatment at nominal costs, particularly for economically disadvantaged families.
The centre offers a wide spectrum of therapies including radiation, chemotherapy, Ayurveda, naturopathy, homoeopathy, acupuncture, and neuropathy.