National Health Policy 2017 unveiled in Lok Sabha Morung Express News Dimapur | March 16 India has approved an ambitious health policy which strong focus on “Preventive and Promotive Health Care and Universal access to good quality health care services. The National Health Policy 2017 NHP, 2017) was approved by the Union Cabinet at its meeting chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a PIB press release said. The last national health policy was framed in 2002. The main objective of the NHP is to achieve the highest possible level of good health and well-being and to achieve universal access to good quality health care services without anyone having to face financial hardship as a consequence, it said. The broad principles of the policy is centered on Professionalism, Integrity and Ethics, Equity, Affordability, Universality, Patient Centered & Quality of Care, Accountability and pluralism, it added. In order to provide access and financial protection at secondary and tertiary care levels, the policy proposes free drugs, free diagnostics and free emergency care services in all public hospitals. Among others, the policy raise public healthcare expenditure to 2.5 percent of GDP from the current 1.4 percent, in a time-bound manner, with two-thirds of the expense for primary healthcare. The policy also envisages providing larger package of assured comprehensive primary health care through Health and Wellness Centres which includes care for major non-communicable diseases, mental health, geriatric health care palliative care and rehabilitation care services, the release said. Besides, it aims at ensuring the availability of 2 beds per 1000 population distributed in a manner to enable access “within golden hour.” The policy proposes to increase life expectancy from 67.5 to 70 years by 2025; reduction of total fertility rate (TFR) to 2.1 at national and sub-national level by 2025; mortality rate of children under 5 years of age to 23 (per 1000) by 2025 and infant mortality rate to 28 by 2019. The policy advocates development of mid-level service providers, nurse practitioners, public health cadre to improve availability of appropriate health human resource, it added. Unveiling the National Health Policy in Lok Sabha on March 16, Union heath minister JP Nadda said that the policy “envisages a time-bound implementation framework with clear deliverable and milestones to achieve the policy goals,” IANS reported.
