BioVoice News April 2017 Issue 11 Volume 1 | Page 55

of cadre of mid-level service providers, nurse practitioners, public health cadre to improve availability of appropriate health human resource. It also seeks to address health security and make in India for drugs and devices besides aligning other policies for medical devices and equipment with public health goals. The latest policy on healthcare surely does reflect the intent to take into consideration all the bottle necks. But what will matter at the end of the day is how much translates into action. Also, there are still few decisions such as universal health coverage, rural health improvement, regulations etc that will need goal setting and dedicated task forces for implementation. The National Health Policy 2017 envisages raising public health expenditure progressively to 2.5% of the GDP by 2025. Some key targets that the policy seeks to achieve: Life Expectancy and healthy life • Increase Life Expectancy at birth from 67.5 to 70 by 2025. • Establish regular tracking of Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALY) Index as a measure of burden of disease and its trends by major categories by 2022. • Reduction of TFR to 2.1 at national and sub- national level by 2025. Mortality by age or cause • R educe Under Five Mortality to 23 by 2025 and MMR from current levels to 100 by 2020. • Reduce infant mortality rate to 28 by 2019. • Reduce neo-natal mortality to 16 and still birth rate to “single digit” by 2025. • Reduction of disease prevalence/ incidence • Achieve global target of 2020 which is also termed as target of 90:90:90, for HIV/ AIDS i. e,- 90% of all people living with • • • • HIV know their HIV status, - 90% of all people diagnosed with HIV infection receive sustained antiretroviral therapy and 90% of all people receiving antiretroviral therapy will have viral suppression. Achieve and maintain elimination status of Leprosy by 2018, Kala-Azar by 2017 and Lymphatic Filariasis in endemic pockets by 2017. To achieve and maintain a cure rate of >85% in new sputum positive patients for TB and reduce incidence of new cases, to reach elimination status by 2025. To reduce the prevalence of blindness to 0.25/ 1000 by 2025 and disease burden by one third from current levels. To reduce premature mortality from cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes or chronic respiratory diseases by 25% by 2025. BIOVOICENEWS.COM 55