The National Health Policy 2017, launched by the Central Government, aims to transform India’s healthcare system comprehensively. This policy addresses various facets of the health sector, including disease prevention, cross-sectoral health promotion, health investment, human resource development, technological advancements, and more.
Objectives of the National Health Policy:
- Combat Rising Disease Rates: The policy addresses the increasing prevalence of both non-communicable and infectious diseases in India.
- Cost Reduction: It seeks to reduce healthcare expenses for individuals, ultimately alleviating the financial burden associated with medical bills and related costs. This includes efforts to provide improved services to marginalized and underserved populations.
- Economic Growth: The policy envisions augmenting the budgetary capacity for healthcare through fostering overall economic growth.
Transition from Previous Policy:
The National Health Policy of 2017 replaced the preceding health policy that had been in effect since 2002. This transition reflects a dynamic response to evolving healthcare needs and priorities within the country.
Improved Health System Goals:
- Increase Average Life Expectancy: Raise the average life expectancy from 67.5 years to 70 years by 2025.
- Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALY) Tracking: Establish a systematic tracking system for the Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALY) Index by 2022. This index measures the overall burden of illness in terms of years lost due to disability, ill-health, or early death.
- Total Fertility Rate (TFR) Reduction: Aim to reduce the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) to 2.1 at both the national and sub-national levels by 2025. This refers to the average number of children a woman is expected to have during her reproductive years.
- Child Mortality Reduction: Decrease under-five mortality to 23 by 2025 and Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) to 100 by 2020, from current levels.
- Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) Reduction: By 2019, target a reduction in the infant mortality rate to 28 percent. By 2025, further reduce infant mortality to 16 percent and stillbirth rate to single digits.
- HIV/AIDS Targets: Achieve the global target of 90:90:90 for HIV/AIDS by 2020. This entails ensuring that 90 percent of people living with HIV are aware of their status, 90 percent of diagnosed patients undergo long-term antiretroviral therapy, and 90 percent of those on therapy achieve viral suppression.
- Disease Elimination Targets: Aim for leprosy elimination and maintenance by 2018, Kala-Azar elimination by 2017, and Lymphatic Filariasis Elimination in endemic areas by 2017.
- Tuberculosis (TB) Elimination: Work towards the elimination of tuberculosis (TB) by 2025. This involves achieving and maintaining a cure rate of over 85% in new sputum-positive patients and minimizing the incidence of new cases.
- Blindness and Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs): Lower the prevalence of blindness to 0.25 per 1000 people by 2025, and decrease the burden of non-communicable diseases like cardiovascular illnesses, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory disorders by 25% by 2025. This aims to reduce premature mortality from these conditions.
Goals to Improve Health System Performance:
- Enhanced Utilization of Public Health Facilities: Increase the utilization of public health facilities by 50% over current levels by 2025. This aims to ensure that a greater proportion of the population accesses government healthcare services.
- High Immunization Coverage: Ensure that more than 90% of newborns receive full immunization by the age of one year by 2025. This helps in protecting infants from various preventable diseases.
- Tobacco Usage Reduction: By 2020, reduce the prevalence of current tobacco usage by 15% and further decrease it by 30% by 2025. This focuses on lowering the incidence of tobacco-related health issues.
- Stunting Reduction in Children: Decrease the prevalence of stunting in children under the age of five by 40% by 2025. This is crucial for ensuring proper physical and cognitive development in early childhood.
- Universal Access to Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation: By 2020, ensure that every individual has access to safe drinking water and sanitation facilities through initiatives like the Swachh Bharat Mission.
- Occupational Safety in Agriculture: By 2020, aim to halve the number of occupational injuries among agricultural workers from the current rate of 334 per lakh. This is vital for ensuring the safety and well-being of those employed in agriculture.
The National Health Mission (NHM) is a comprehensive healthcare program initiated by the Government of India. It encompasses various components to address the healthcare needs of the population. Here’s a breakdown of the main components of NHM:
- Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health (RMNCH A) Services:
- This component focuses on providing essential healthcare services for reproductive health, maternal care, newborn care, child health, and adolescent health.
- Initiatives like Janani Suraksha Yojana target maternal health and safe childbirth.
- Communicable Diseases:
- The NHM recognizes the importance of controlling communicable diseases and strengthening the public health system.
- Various programs, including the National Aids Control Program, National Leprosy Eradication Program, Revised Tuberculosis Control Program, and National Vector-Borne Disease Control Program, work towards preventing and managing communicable diseases.
- Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs):
- The NHM acknowledges the rising incidence of chronic diseases and aims to slow down and reverse this trend.
- Initiatives like Mission Madhumeha through Ayurveda focus on addressing issues related to non-communicable diseases, with a specific emphasis on diabetes.
- Improvement of Rural and Urban Health Systems:
- This component targets the enhancement of healthcare facilities and services in both rural and urban areas to ensure better accessibility and quality of care.
- Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP):
- UIP aims to provide free immunization against various diseases to all children across the country. It covers vaccines for diseases like tuberculosis, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, polio, hepatitis B, pneumonia, meningitis, measles, rubella, Japanese encephalitis, and rotavirus diarrhoea.
- Mental Health:
- NHM is actively working on implementing a new mental health policy to address the mental health needs of the population.
The National Health Mission is a multi-pronged approach to healthcare that aims to provide comprehensive and accessible health services to all segments of the population. It covers a wide spectrum of healthcare needs, from maternal and child health to communicable and non-communicable diseases.
The National Health Policy 2017 is built on several key principles that guide its implementation and approach towards healthcare. Here are the key principles:
- Ethics and Professionalism:
- The policy places a strong emphasis on maintaining the highest professional standards, ethics, and integrity in healthcare delivery services. It promotes transparency and a long-term perspective in healthcare practices.
- Equity:
- The policy aims to reduce disparities and inequities based on factors such as caste, gender, disability, poverty, and other forms of social exclusion. It includes provisions for providing financial assistance to economically disadvantaged and needy patients.
- Affordability:
- The policy strives to make healthcare services and medications more affordable. It seeks to remove social, economic, and existing health disparities, ensuring that quality healthcare is accessible to all sections of society.
In conclusion, the National Health Policy recognizes that health is a fundamental right and a cornerstone of social justice. A healthy and robust population is crucial for India to thrive in the global arena. Advancements in the health sector not only improve human resources but also create new avenues for revenue generation and employment opportunities. The policy’s key principles reflect a commitment to ethical, equitable, and accessible healthcare for all citizens.
FAQs
1. What is health policy?
A: Health policy refers to a set of decisions, plans, and actions undertaken by governments, organizations, or individuals to promote, maintain, or improve the health of populations. It encompasses various aspects such as healthcare financing, delivery systems, regulation, and public health initiatives.
2. How does health policy affect access to healthcare?
A: Health policy dictates the structure and function of healthcare systems, which directly impacts access to healthcare services. Policies related to insurance coverage, reimbursement mechanisms, provider networks, and geographic distribution of healthcare facilities significantly influence individuals’ ability to obtain timely and affordable care.
3. What role does government play in shaping health policy?
A: Governments play a central role in shaping health policy through legislation, regulation, and funding. They establish frameworks for healthcare delivery, oversee safety and quality standards, allocate resources for public health programs, and implement strategies to address health disparities and emerging health threats.
4. How does health policy address public health challenges?
A: Health policy addresses public health challenges by setting priorities, mobilizing resources, and implementing interventions to prevent and control diseases, promote healthy behaviors, and improve population health outcomes. Policies may target issues such as vaccination, tobacco control, nutrition, sanitation, and environmental health.
5. How do stakeholders influence the development of health policy?
A: Stakeholders including healthcare providers, insurers, pharmaceutical companies, advocacy groups, and the public, exert influence on health policy development through advocacy, lobbying, research, and public engagement. Their perspectives, interests, and expertise shape policy debates, decision-making processes, and the implementation of healthcare reforms.
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