Healthcare policy of a political party

Posted: March 20, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: 12th Five Year Plan, Chronic Disease Management, Digital Health, Disease Management, eHealth, Healthcare | Tags: , , , , , | 1 Comment

I was on  a call with a leading political party to discuss the Universal Health Coverage and i raised the following points for them to attend ;

1. Defining the UHC – We need to first define , what is Universal Health Coverage .
2. Focusing on execution – increasing the absorptive capacity on healthcare system – Even 1 % of GDP allocated to healthcare is not being used properly . How will we use 3 % ?
3.  Ideating the UHC model – whether it should be pay for use ( except for BPL ) ? Anything free will be worse than what we have today
4. Using technology including telemedicine and mHealth
5. PPP for healthcare outcomes and delivery

Hopefully , this party will be taking care of these points as well . This is the third political party that has sought my views on its Health Policy

Rajendra Pratap Gupta

http://www.indianhealthcareblog.com

Implementing strategies focusing on Child Health through Ministry of Human Resource Development

Posted: February 24, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: 12th Five Year Plan, Chronic Disease Management, Digital Health, Disease Management, Healthcare System | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

DMAI                                   

Rajendra Pratap Gupta

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            President & Board Member

February 13, 2013.

Dr. M.M. Pallam Raju

Union Minister for Human Resource Development

Government of India

Shastri Bhawan, C- Wing, Dr.Rajendra Prasad road.

New Delhi- 110001

 

Subject: Implementing strategies focusing on Child Health through Ministry of Human Resource Development

 

Dear Dr.Raju,

 

I am sure this finds you doing well.

 

This note is a follow up on my earlier communications on including health education in school / college curriculum.  Please refer

following  communications;

 

  1. Communication regarding Child Health dated 11th Feb,11 http://dmai.org.in/sites/default/files/Unhealthy_Promotions_MOHFW.pdf
  2. Communication dated July 11, 2011 on the UN High level summit for Heads of States. http://dmai.org.in/sites/default/files/Note%20to%20PMO%20for%20UN%20Summit%20on%20NCD’s%20%20September’11.pdf
  3. Communication dated 8th August 2011 regarding, Right to Preventive Care & child health . http://dmai.org.in/sites/default/files/Right%20to%20Preventive%20Care.pdf
  4. Communication to Shri Kapil Sibal, Former HRD Minister, for including health in the school curriculum. http://dmai.org.in/sites/default/files/Healthcare%20in%20School%20Curriculam.pdf
  5. Communication dated October 10th, 2012 to Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare on ‘Pre-emptive care’           focused on child health. http://dmai.org.in/Pre-emptive-Care-A-new-model-of-care.pdf
  6. My address at the United Nations, on why we need to focus on Child Health? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCTKC4ndjsc

 

Implementing strategies to ensure good heath among children would require collaborative working between the

Ministry of Human Resource Development along with Ministry of Health & Family Welfare & the Ministry of

Women & Child Development & the Ministry of IT & Communications . We have been following this issue very

closely, and have sent numerous proposals and met up with various officials from time to time.

 

The following, if not yet implemented, would be a good step to promote child health ;

 

1. Start a chapter on hygiene & oral care from class 1 onwards

2. Create animated pictures and videos for children’s health that could be multilingual, and can be screened        nationally in classes or using mobile health as a medium to disseminate the audio visuals .

3. Have a chapter and subject called ‘Essentials of health’ , which is exam based

4. Define child health and check-up guidelines on the lines of vaccination charts till the age of 15 years. This can

be done by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and incorporated in the school curriculum.

5. Child obesity is a serious issue, and this can be addressed by giving right knowledge about ‘Calorie exchanges’. Since parents teach the children, they will also get educated on the same and impact the family’s health. This must be added in school curriculum from class 3 onwards

6. Work outs or Yoga / mediation must be introduced in all schools

  1. All schools must have ideal height / weight / age charts in all classes, and every 6 months these must be reported in the half-yearly and annual report card. The same way as attendance, neatness , punctuality etc. are reported in class report cards at the PTMs (Parents Teachers meetings)
  2. It would be a great move if we start giving out 3 %marks or give a grading of A, B or C ( A for being fit for standards , B for borderline & needs improvement  & C for being much below the child health metrics ), for various health indicators like dental hygiene, height and weight (BMI – Body Mass Index ), hemoglobin, Vitamin B & D etc.
  3. Each school / college should have a full-time doctor / health educator
  4. Junk foods & associated calorific intake needs adequate attention in school level awareness campaigns
  5. Children do not realize the importance of having adequate quantity of water, and since, in school, they are sometimes restricted to go to toilets, it is high time that the guidelines are issued to all schools for adequate water consumption & availability of drinking water & toilets in school (It might sound trivial, but it is very

Important).

 

Hope this issue will be given the highest priority and attended at the highest level. We will be raising this issue in parliament though members of Parliament from different political parties

 

For this generation, we are already too late, but we must ensure that the next generation is a healthy one.

 

In hope of the needful

 

Rajendra Pratap Gupta

 

 

 

 

CC:

Shri. Ghulam Nabi Azad, Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare.

Shri Kapil Sibal, Minister for Communications & IT

Smt.Krishna Tirath, Minister of state (I/C) for Women & Child Development

Dr.Syeda Hameed, Member, Planning Commission, GOI.

Shri. T.K.A. Nair, Advisor to the Prime Minister.

Shri Keshav Desiraju, Health Secretary, GOI.

Shri Ashok Thakur, Secretary, Min. of HRD.

Shri Prem Narain, Secretary, Min. for Women & Child Development.

Dr.Jagdish Prasad, DGHS, MOHFW

Dr.K.Srinath Reddy, President, PHFI.

DMAI wants PAC to start auditing unspent govt funds for healthcare

Posted: December 31, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

DMAI wants PAC to start auditing unspent govt funds for healthcare
Suja Nair Shirodkar, Mumbai
Monday, December 31, 2012, 08:00 Hrs  [IST]
 

The Disease Management Association of India (DMAI) has urged the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), set up for the auditing of government expenditures to various sectors, to seriously consider auditing of unspent funds to the healthcare sector. In a representation made to Dr Murali Manohar Joshi, chairman of PAC, the association stressed it is essential to bring in accountability and transparency on why the funds that have been allocated for the use in various sectors go unused in spite of the requirement.

DMAI stressed that it has been observed time and again that a huge chunk of the allocated funds go back to the government exchequer, because the officials handling the responsibility was not able to use it appropriately. This they fear is because the officials who handle the charge either does not understand the need of the sector or they remain carefree since they are not questioned.

Rajendra Pratap Gupta, president, DMAI, pointed out that in healthcare sector which requires a major financial thrust from the government for various programmes, it has been noticed that a most of the funds assigned are either not released on time or are at times not released for the benefit of the sector. “There is already a huge hue and cry over the lack of insufficient funds kept aside for the healthcare sector. To make matters worse even from that funds allocated for the upliftment of the sector, a huge share goes without being spent, unused back to the government. We feel that this is because the administers do not feel answerable to the money unspent, since as of now they are only accountable for the expenditure made by the government.”

Gupta further added that for better administrative purpose and to ensure effective and timely use of the allocated funds to development purpose it is essential to start questioning the officials on unused government money. PAC which consist of selected members from the parliament, was constituted by the parliament for the auditing the expenditure of the government. However the DMAI stressed that along with getting the accountability of all the expenditure there is also an urgent need to get reasons on why the government have been lacking behind in spending money on much needed plans when the money was already sidelined for the same under the budgetary plan.

After the meeting with the chairman of PAC it was agreed upon by both the parties that there is a need to address this issues at the earliest. It is understood that following the meeting Dr Joshi has asked DMAI to submit a detailed data on all the unused funds in the healthcare sector compared to its requirement based on which they will be taking the required action.

DMAI informed that they have already started the work on this matter and will soon be sending the data to the government with updated data for their perusal.

http://pharmabiz.com/NewsDetails.aspx?aid=72938&sid=1
 

Pre-emptive care – A new model of care

Posted: December 27, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Image

Rajendra Pratap Gupta

President & Member

Board of Directors

Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad

Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               October 10th, 2012

Government of India.

Nirman Bhawan, New Delhi – 110108.

Reference: Empowering people , ‘Pre-emptive care’ model & update on the Government Industry Dialogue

Dear Shri Azad ji,

Hope this finds you doing good.

I attended a workshop for health ministers of NDA two days ago . During the workshop , we also visited a village in Gadhchiroli ( A naxalite area in Maharashtra ).  Here, I came across a 7th class failed lady who has been delivering healthcare information and advice in the village for many years on mother and child health, and out of the past five years , the village has been ‘Child death free’ for four years .

This service of the 7th class failed lady makes me believe that time has come to move from, ‘Health for All’ to ‘All for Health’ and under this ,

  • Move to a system for self care
  • We must come out with a healthcare booklet for all the citizens in regional languages
  • Give generic names with prices for medicines ( OTC – Over the country or non-prescription pharma or non-pharma products ) , for common seasonal and acute ailments
  • Also, the Government must make this booklet available to all the citizens on its website & as an application in Android / Nokia and other phone operating systems. It is time to empower people to take to primary and preventive care . Healthcare indications with OTC products application must be made mandatory in all languages for cell phones sold in India . May be, MOCIT ( Ministry of Communications & IT ) can take the lead in doing this .

More than 3 years back , I had written in the document titled ‘Healthcare  reforms agenda’ (http://www.dmai.org.in/Healthcare_Reforms_Agenda.pdf ) , about ‘mass screenings’ for people,  and I am glad that your ministry has accepted it , and has already done over 10 million screenings in the past 10 months , which is really commendable .  Now , it is time for India to move from ‘Preventive’ care to ‘Pre-emptive’ care ( till now, I haven’t heard this word used for health ! ).

‘Pre-emptive healthcare’ ( Before teen age ) ,  starts before the age ( late twenties ), when ‘Preventive care’ starts . It would include ;

  • Starting with health screening for children when they turn the age of 10  . Earlier the better !  So that children grow up healthy .
  • The screenings will include obesity , blood pressure and diabetes screenings, every 6 months . These checks would not cost more than Rs. 10 a year , but can help in making India the healthiest nation !
  • Also, major healthcare problems arise due to deficiency of vitamins A, D & B & Omega 3. We must recommend guidelines for all children to undergo tests for deficiency of these vitamins and Omega 3, and also tie up with national level labs for offering these tests at rates mutually agreed by the Government . I understand that currently , it is difficult to have a test for Omega 3 in India, even if one needs to get it done !
  • Also, dental examination and eye check – ups must be made mandatory from the age of 6 years

We should, therefore, focus on drafting the child health guidelines and ensure that these become the basic requirement for school admissions and thus, are enforced nationally.

Lastly , on the Government Industry Dialogue (GID) for Healthcare that was organized by the Disease Management Association of India (DMAI) . I understand that you could not attend due to your pre-occupation, but I did receive the note conveying your good wishes for this initiative. This dialogue was a massive success with 60 CEO’s from the Healthcare sector companies attending the dialogue and was addressed by ;

  • Dr.Sam Pitroda , Advisor to the Prime-Minister
  • Shri Keshav Desiraju, Spl. Secretary , MOHFW
  • Dr.Ashok Kumar – representing the DGHS , Dr.Jagdish Prasad
  • Shri. Anil Swarup, Addl. Secretary, Ministry of Labour & Employment
  • Dr.K.Srinath Reddy, President , PHFI & Chairman, High Level Expert Group on Universal Coverage
  • Dr.Prathap C. Reddy, Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group;
  • Besides CEO’s & Managing Directors of leadings healthcare corporations

Besides , the dialogue was well attended by the media . Details of the deliberations are available on http://governmentindustrydialogue.org

This dialogue showed the keenness from both the sides ( Industry & the Government ) to work shoulder to shoulder to address the key healthcare challenges facing the nation .

Three areas of cooperation have emerged; i.e. adoption of districts under mass screening programs , companies willing to work on secondary prevention program in addition to the mass screening program , IT & mHealth companies willing to provide innovative solutions for managing chronic diseases and program evaluation tools, training front line health workers & Rural health . It would be good if the MOHFW now moves to focused meetings under the Government Industry Dialogue to decide the scope of collaboration specific to each program. I am sure that this will lead to more effective implementation of existing programs . I look forward to your guidance on the same.

Over the next couple of weeks, I will be attending meetings in USA – ‘International Wellness and Chronic Care Symposium’,  and in Manila – ‘The Asia Pacific Leadership & Policy Dialogue’, hosted by WHO and the World Economic Forum for digital health . Will update you on the developments

With best regards ,

Rajendra Pratap Gupta

CC.

Dr.Manmohan Singh, Prime Minster, Govt. of India.

Dr.Sam Pitroda ,Advisor to the Prime Minister of India .

Shri Keshav Desiraju, Special Secretary, Health & Family Welfare, GOI.

Shri Anil Swarup, Addl Secretary, Ministry of Labour & Employment , GOI

Dr.K.Srinaty Reddy, President , PHFI & Chairman, HLEG- Universal Coverage

Dr.Jagdish Prasad, DGHS, Min. of Health & Family Welfare, GOI.