
After thirteen years, a healthy
policy is now ready and the draft is seeking comments and suggestions. The
issues addressed include universal health coverage, reducing infant mortality
and maternal mortality, accessibility to free drugs and diagnostics, and
modifications in law to make them pertinent.
Countries like Brazil and Thailand
have universal health coverage schemes. Many international covenants in which
India is a joint signatory have a mandatory rule on making health coverage
schemes universal. Health care is a fundamental right as per court rulings and
is a "constitutional obligation flowing out of the right to life". These are
also stated in the draft policy.
There has been 10-years of discussion over making health a fundamental right. However, the draft throws questions whether India is economically sound enough and has health systems in place to make the right justifiable. On the other hand, denying this becomes an offence.
"The Centre shall enact, after due discussion and on the request of three or more states a National Health Rights Act, which will ensure health as a fundamental right, whose denial will be justiciable," the draft says.
"The States would voluntarily opt to adopt this by a resolution of their Legislative Assembly. The States which have achieved a per capita public health expenditure rate of over Rs. 3,800 per capita (at current prices) should be in a position to deliver on this - and though many States are some distance away, there are States which are approaching or have even reached this target" says the policy.
"However, given that the NHP 2002 target of 2 percent was not met, and taking into account the financial capacity of the country to provide this amount and the institutional capacity to utilise the increased funding in an effective manner, this policy proposes a... potentially achievable target of raising public health expenditure to 2.5 percent of the GDP" the policy notes.
Source: Medindia
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