Experts push for re-drafting of new healthcare policy as it fails to meet expectation
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Suja Nair Shirodkar
January 29 , 2015
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Experts want the health ministry to re-draft the new healthcare policy
again, as it fails to meet not only the expectations of the
stakeholders, but also the healthcare needs of the country, an issue
that needs urgent attention. It is understood that the policy in its
current form contains lot of contradictory statements that are far
deluded from facts.
Earlier this month, the Centre had released
the draft national healthcare policy 2015, a highly anticipated and
expectation laced framework. Far from addressing the healthcare issues,
it hardly touched base with any progressive measures as covered and
promised in the manifesto.
A highly placed senior official from
the ministry said that ironically, the healthcare policy was not even
written by a healthcare expert but by an outsider having limited
knowledge of the same. Expressing concern over the failed attempt of the
government in putting together a credible policy, the source says, “One
look at the policy is enough to show that it is an act of incompetent
work done by people with negligible knowledge of the healthcare scenario
of the country. Rather than taking the comments of the healthcare
providers, this policy was drafted taking into account the wish list and
suggestions of the bureaucrats.”
The source further stressed
that the 58-page long policy document on many levels lacks clarity on
key points that focus on universal access to affordable good quality
healthcare services. Neither does it give proper focus on key issues
like preventive healthcare initiatives, development of primary,
secondary and tertiary healthcare; occupational safety hazards; or
vision and roadmap as envisaged in the 12th five-year plan.
Other
major setback according to experts had been for the medical device
sector which has been looking forward for a greater and prominent role
in the country's healthcare system through a strong policy. It is
understood that lot of senior ministry officials are not happy with the
same and are in the process of going in for re-drafting of the same.
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