Healthcare needs a genuine check up
India’s low public spend on health and low prevalence of insurance coverage
are driving a large number of Indians to poverty as they have to bear high outof-pocket expenses
O
BY RAHUL KOUL
n healthcare, the Modi government started on a
very positive note. Last year, the health ministry
declared that it wants to make healthcare a
fundamental right and ensure that its denial is punishable
by law. It wants to make health a fundamental right just
on the same pattern on which education was made a
fundamental right in 2009. Among other programmes
that the health ministry is giving attention to include
Mission Indradhanush that aims at increasing the
immunization coverage to children like the hugely
successful pulse polio program.
What is exciting to find that now the public private
partnerships on disease research are slowly becoming a
reality. Termed as India’s first PPP agreement for
research and innovation in preventive health, an
understanding on joint efforts has been reached recently
between Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR)
and Sun Pharma on elimination of Malaria. Joint
Working Group of both the organizations will conduct
scientific research for development and testing of medical
products (including drugs, biosimilars and vaccines) as
well as undertake disease control and elimination
programs. Sun Pharma will fund and execute this malaria
elimination programme over a span of 3 to 5 years
covering over 200,000 households in Mandla district in
Madhya Pradesh.
A first of its kind Current Good Manufacturing Practices
facility at Central Vaccine Institute, Kasauli has been
activated recently by the health ministry. Besides that a
Zonal Office of Central Drugs Standard Control
Organization (CDSCO) at Baddi has been made
operational. The facility is expected to help the pharma
units which face problems due to non-availability of
regulatory support at times and also will help in boosting
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