GREATER GOVERNMENT
COMMITMENT TO PRIMARY HEALTHCARE
MINISTRY
OF HEALTH & FAMILY WELFARE
National Health
Policy
National Health Policy
has been approved by the Government. The objective is to increase
access to the decentralized public health system by establishing
new infrastructure in deficient areas, and upgrade the infrastructure
in the existing institutions. Overriding importance has been given
to ensure a more equitable access to health services across the
social and geographical expanse of the country. Emphasis has been
given to increase the aggregate public health investment through
a substantially increased contribution by the Central Government.
Under the policy, it is planned to increase health sector expenditure
to 6 percent of GDP, with 2 percent of GDP being contributed as
public health investment, by the year 2010. The State Government
would also need to increase the commitment to the health sector.
In the first phase, by 2005, they are expected to increase the
commitment of their resources to 7 percent of the budget and in
the second phase, by 2010, to increase it to 8 percent of the
budget. The policy also sets out an increased allocation of 55
percent of the total public health investment for the primary
health sector; the secondary and tertiary health sector being
targeted for 35 percent and 10 percent respectively.
National AIDS
Policy
In order to contain
the infection levels of HIV, the Government has announced National
AIDS Policy. The Policy envisages to achieve zero level of new
infections in the general population by 2007. It intends to bring
in horizontal integration at the implementation level with other
National Programmes like Reproductive and Child Health, TB Control,
Integrated Child Development Scheme and with the primary health
care system. It emphasizes the commitment of Government to control
HIV infections and provide supportive care to the victims. Prevention
of Mother to child transmission of HIV programme has been launched
using Nevirapine. In the first phase, all medical colleges, district
hospitals, interested NGO hospitals of six high prevalence states
are likely to be covered.
National Blood
Policy
National Blood Policy
has been finalised. It stresses the need to promote safe and adequate
quality of blood, blood components, blood products and emphasises
on voluntary blood donation and blood bank network. 10 state-of-art
blood banks are being set up in the states of Uttaranchal, Bihar,
UP, MP, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, J&K, Assam, Chattisgarh.
Code of Ethics
for Doctors
Regulations of Professional
Conduct, Ethics, and Etiquette for Allopathic Doctors has been
approved after a gap of 30 years. It makes working in Primary
Health Centre compulsory for doctors. It prescribes deregistration
of doctors found guilty of female foeticide.
Meeting of EAG States on Population
Stabilization
The Empowered
Action Group (EAG) of the Department of Family Welfare met under
the Chairmanship of Union Health & Family Welfare Minister
to outline the priorities for close monitoring of family welfare
and reproductive child health programmes. The basic objective
of this group is to provide focus to the family welfare programmes
and achieve population stabilization by 2010. The EAG agreed in
principle to support the various action plans presented by the
States amounting to approximately Rs 400 crore indicating 100
percent increase to the amounts that was released to them during
the last financial year.
Hepatitis B Pilot Vaccination
Project
Prime Minister
launched a major national initiative in the healthcare with the
introduction of Hepatitis-B pilot vaccination project. The Government
has decided to include Hepatitis-B vaccine in the National Immunization
Programme on a pilot basis in slum areas of 15 cities and in 32
districts.
Legislations
Passed
The Parliament
has passed the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation &
Prevention of misuse) Amendment Bill, 2002 to further amend PNDT
Act, 1994. The amendments mainly relate to bring the techniques
of pre-conception sex selection within the ambit of this Act so
as to pre-empt the use of such technologies which significantly
contribute to the declining sex ratio. It also intends to bring
the use of ultrasound machines within the purview of this Act
more explicitly so as to curb their misuse for detection and disclosure
of sex of the foetus. Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment)
Bill, 2002 passed to strengthen punitive measures for illegal
unauthorised abortions.
Guidelines on Assisted Reproductive
Technology Clinics In India
The Guidelines
on Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Clinics to addresses,
the issues of infertility, surrogacy, rights of the child born
through various ART technologies etc. released for public debate.
Policy on ISM&H
A separate policy
on Indian Systems of Medicine & Homeopathy (ISM&H) has
been formulated. The basic objectives of this Policy are – to
promote good health and expand the outreach of health care to
our people, particularly those not provided health cover, through
preventive, promotive, mitigating and curative intervention through
ISM&H. It also intends to improve the quality of teachers
and clinicians by revising curricula to contemporary relevance
and researches by creating model institutions and Centres of Excellence
and extending assistance for creating infrastructural facilities.
A joint collaborative
project of CSIR and Department of ISM&H for preparing Traditional
Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) to prevent patent claims
on Medicinal uses of plant described singly or in combination
with other ingredients described in Ayurvedic texts has been initiated.
It is a novel approach and has been supported by the World Intellectual
Property Organisation. It involves using the skills and knowledge
of 30 Ayurvedic experts, 5 Information Technology professionals
and 5 Patent examiners. Side by side, work has started on Unani
Medicine and Siddha Medicine. Based on the availability of the
Indian Systems of Traditional Medicine which have their roots
in codified texts. TKDL for 35,000 Ayurveda formulations is under
preparation. It is in 5 U.N. languages in patent compatible formats.
A new scheme
for upgrading State Drug Testing Laboratories and Pharmacies was
introduced and implemented during 2000-01 and 2001-02 to improve
the capacity of the States and to monitor the quality of ISM products.
16 States Drug Testing Laboratories and 27 pharmacies were assisted
and the funds to the tune of Rs. 31.46 crore were released, under
this scheme. The scheme will continue in the 10th plan
also.
Essential Drug
Lists for Ayurvedic, Unani and Homeopathic medicine were issued
after consultation with the most renowned experts to all State
Government suggesting them to make available these drugs in their
hospitals and dispensaries. This has been done for the first time.
Indian Medicines
Central Council (Amendment) Bill 2002 & Homeo Central Council
(Amendment) Bill 2002 passed to check the mushrooming growth of
sub-standard institutions.
