Indian MPs have demanded a proper mechanism to regulate the functioning of the private hospitals in the country. They said the hospitals were fleecing poor patients.
Initiating a discussion in the Rajya Sabha on the functioning of the Ministry of Heath and Family Welfare, Communist Party of India (Marxist) MP Brinda Karat said, on Tuesday, said: "Private sector hospitals are exploiting vulnerable sections of society as the government has failed to provide good health services. Moreover, the government has failed to formulate any regulatory mechanism or fix any responsibility on erring hospitals and doctors. Strict monitoring of private health sector is required to safeguard interests of poor people."
India to Spend $4.35 Billion on Healthcare: Budget 2009
Has the Indian budget fulfilled expectations of the health sector? Find out more!
Advertisement
(The Rajya Sabha is the upper house of the Indian parliament.)
Ms. Karat pointed to the declining budgetary allocations for the health sector and wanted the government to implement a time-bound programme for creation of world-class health infrastructure.
![Health Insurance Premium to Cost Less for Indian Poor – Finance Minister]( "Health Insurance Premium to Cost Less for Indian Poor – Finance Minister")
India's Finance Minister P Chidambaram has announced reduction in the cost of health insurance premium under the Universal Health Insurance Scheme(UHIS) meant for the poor.
She demanded more autonomy for AIIMS-like institutions and suggested the setting up of more centres of excellence like the AIIMS, a prestigious institution based in the national capital of New Delhi.
She asked the government to strengthen the departments of traditional systems of medicines and stop treating patients as guinea pigs for clinical trials.
Talking about family planning, the fiery Left MP alleged that governments were adopting coercive population control measures, which were undemocratic and cruel. She demanded effective steps to check sex determination test.
She also criticised the functioning of the Drug Control Authority and dubbed the anti-pregnancy drug 'i-pill' as dubious and dangerous. She also asked the government to give at least minimum wages to rural health workers.
She demanded the immediate reopening of three government-owned vaccine production units and more funds for them so that they met the quality standards. "I also demand an inquiry into why they were closed down, who was responsible for the closure and who is accountable for lakhs of our children being deprived of immunisation," she said.
She also felt there was a need to streamline the organ donation mechanism and wanted all MPs pledge to donate their organs and build it into a national movement so that the general public could be made aware about the need for donating organs.
Syed A. Pasha of the CPI demanded the setting up of a commission to look into the functioning of corporate hospitals, "which were fleecing patients."
Leader of the Opposition Arun Jaitley asked the government to ensure that prices of life-saving drugs, which increased manifold in the last five years due to product patent does, did not go beyond the reach of the poor people.
Pointing out that private healthcare had become costly, he asked the government to relax the norms for setting up medical colleges, particularly for the government sector. He demanded immediate restoration of autonomy to institutions such as the AIIMS.
The former Union Health Minister and BJP member, C.P. Thakur, said every State should have one viral laboratory in the wake of the H1N1 influenza cases.
Source: Medindia
GPL
Health Insurance Premium to Cost Less for Indian Poor – Finance Minister
India's Finance Minister P Chidambaram has announced reduction in the cost of health insurance premium under the Universal Health Insurance Scheme(UHIS) meant for the poor.
Advertisement
She demanded more autonomy for AIIMS-like institutions and suggested the setting up of more centres of excellence like the AIIMS, a prestigious institution based in the national capital of New Delhi.
She asked the government to strengthen the departments of traditional systems of medicines and stop treating patients as guinea pigs for clinical trials.
Talking about family planning, the fiery Left MP alleged that governments were adopting coercive population control measures, which were undemocratic and cruel. She demanded effective steps to check sex determination test.
She also criticised the functioning of the Drug Control Authority and dubbed the anti-pregnancy drug 'i-pill' as dubious and dangerous. She also asked the government to give at least minimum wages to rural health workers.
She demanded the immediate reopening of three government-owned vaccine production units and more funds for them so that they met the quality standards. "I also demand an inquiry into why they were closed down, who was responsible for the closure and who is accountable for lakhs of our children being deprived of immunisation," she said.
She also felt there was a need to streamline the organ donation mechanism and wanted all MPs pledge to donate their organs and build it into a national movement so that the general public could be made aware about the need for donating organs.
Syed A. Pasha of the CPI demanded the setting up of a commission to look into the functioning of corporate hospitals, "which were fleecing patients."
Leader of the Opposition Arun Jaitley asked the government to ensure that prices of life-saving drugs, which increased manifold in the last five years due to product patent does, did not go beyond the reach of the poor people.
Pointing out that private healthcare had become costly, he asked the government to relax the norms for setting up medical colleges, particularly for the government sector. He demanded immediate restoration of autonomy to institutions such as the AIIMS.
The former Union Health Minister and BJP member, C.P. Thakur, said every State should have one viral laboratory in the wake of the H1N1 influenza cases.
Source: Medindia
GPL
Preventive Healthcare Scoring Over Curative: Ramadoss
According to the Indian Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss, preventive, as opposed to curative health care has become the preferred option.
Advertisement
Advertisement
|
Advertisement
Latest Indian Health News
Systems of traditional medicine such as Ayurveda have the potential to avert illnesses and reduce the unnecessary reliance on antibiotics.
Dengue claimed a minimum of 5,500 lives across 20 countries, India included, marking a 32 percent increase from 2022 and an 11 percent rise compared to 2019.
The Rs 1,500 crore 'Chief Minister Health at Doorstep' program aims to cut expenses and conduct blood tests for those aged 60+.
In Bihar, a mysterious ailment named "Langda fever" by locals has emerged, causing patients to recover from fever but struggle to walk due to joint pain.
Upon analyzing the years of life lost due to cancer, the team discovered that the four avoidable risk factors led to an annual loss of over 30 million years of life.