PM’s Thrust towards Health Reforms
Meenakshi Lekhi
Indian Member of Parliament
As India is the fastest growing economy in the world, we are aspiring to be super power. To lead the world we need to solve certain important issues that we are face and health is one of them. The Narendra Modi Government envision India as a healthy society thereby since 2014 various initiatives are taken to improve the health and wellness domain.
The Swachch Bharat Abhiyan, and making India open defecation free program was initiated. The International Yoga Day seeks to spread benefits of yoga for better mental, physical and intellectual health. The government thinks not only medicines, health services will improve people’s health but healthy lifestyle, clean environment will bring a greater change.
Modi ji emphasis on the importance of women in the holistic development of the country and therefore “Mission ParivarVikas” was launched for intensifying family planning services and initiatives. For the special antenatal care to pregnant women across the country in order to detect and prevent high risk pregnancies “Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan ” was launched. The government believes Children are future of any country and they need to grow healthy. The “Mission Indradhanush” was launched to immunize all children under the age of 2 yr, as well as all pregnant women against seven vaccine preventable diseases.
The government came up with New National Health Policy 2017, the plan aims to increase spending on healthcare in India’s GDP from the current 2%. The policy aims to reduce maternal mortality rate, safe water and sanitation for all by 2020 and many more. For better service delivery and to remove malpractices of healthcare sector, e-healthcare services like e-pharmacy, e-diagnostics are launched. To boost Indian talents for employment generation, Medical Equipment Manufacturing units were started. This year, on 4th Feb World Cancer Day a massive free door-to-door screening for the early detection and treatment for cancer was launched. The Pradhan Mantri Dialysis Programme is launched, so that the most vulnerable and the needy can take dialysis service free of cost through PPP Model.
‘Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana’ is a campaign launched, to provide quality medicines at affordable prices to the masses through special kendra’s known as Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Kendra. Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Kendra (PMBJK) have been set up to provide generic drugs, which are available at lesser prices but are equivalent in quality and efficacy as expensive branded drugs.
The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has capped the price of life-saving coronary stents, a spring-like metal device used to prop open blocked arteries in the heart, at Rs 30,000. The move comes as a relief for lakhs of patients who are forced to pay inordinately high amounts for the device. The Narendra Modi government may also bring in a legal framework under which doctors will have to prescribe generic medicines, which are cheaper than equivalent branded drugs, to patients.
In these three years, Modi Government did great work in health sector by introducing the much needed reforms. These reforms certainly brought changes to the lives of millions of Indians. But yet it is just a beginning, many government initiatives shall bring about the much needed change in the Health of India.
