Health Minister J.P. Nadda says health should be a “core issue” in elections, with political parties winning or losing depending on how much was invested in the sector.
He was responding to a question on entitlement literacy — when patients are aware of the privileges and benefits granted to them by law —among Indians and its result on elections. “I personally feel that health is one of the core issues in any societal process, elections or otherwise. It is pivotal for a nation to be healthy and only then can it achieve its true potential,” Mr. Nadda told The Hindu .
The government has invested heavily in providing free medicines, free diagnostic services and better hospitals to make health a right for every citizen. “As far as the issue of health as a right is concerned, I feel Modi government is already working towards it. We are providing free drugs through the Free Drugs & Diagnostics scheme, affordability through our AMRIT outlet drugs and stents and now Universal healthcare too through the recently-launched National Health Policy NHP 2017 where we foresee turning our sub-centres to the basic hub of NCD screening besides other basic health services,” Mr. Nadda said.
After a gap of 14 years, the Cabinet approved a National Health Policy 2017 for India in March, providing an overarching framework to regulate the health sector as it copes with a serious trust deficit from patients.
The policy has been widely criticised for setting specific quantitative targets aimed at reducing disease prevalence without increasing budget allocations.
Violence against doctors
The Health Minister requested patients to “put more faith in service delivery.”
Commenting on the recent spate of violence against government doctors — nearly 4,500 doctors in Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai went on strike after repeated instance of violence by patients and their families — the Health Minister said, “I would like the patients to simply have faith in the services. Further, I request patients to act on time and not seek treatment at the very last moment.”
