The Hindu : National : Ministers called to discuss rural health mission

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Oct 24, 2004

National

National

Ministers called to discuss rural health mission

By Gargi Parsai

NEW DELHI, OCT. 23 . The Centre is convening a meeting of Health Ministers early next month to seek approval for its Rural Health Mission (RHM) Scheme for 17 States.

The suggestion for consultations with the States — health being a State subject — came from the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh.

The Union Health Minister, Anbumani Ramdoss had briefed him on Monday on the proposed Rs. 2,000-crore plan for a decentralised health delivery system in some States during the rest of the five-year Plan period till 2007.

In the 11th Plan, the Health and Family Welfare Ministry has projected an expenditure of Rs. 8,000 crores for the ambitious scheme with a proposal that includes achieving Millennium Development Goals with financial help from the World Bank and the U.K.'s Department for International Development (DFID).

The mid-term appraisal of the Planning Commission is seen as an opportunity to make the RHM proposal.

It is proposed that Dr. Singh head a Mission Coordinating Group, the Union Health Minister a national RHM steering group, and the Chief Ministers State-level RHMs.

According to the Ministry, public investment in health is low (0.9 per cent of the GDP) and public sector meets only 17 per cent of the health care needs, leading to high cost of private health care.

`Extraordinary effort'

The RHM seeks to improve health care delivery in 17 States, including the North-east, in what is perceived as an "extraordinary effort."

The States needing this effort include Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Orissa, Uttaranchal, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Sikkim, Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh.

According to the Ministry, 50 per cent of the country's population is in these 17 States. Of this, 32 per cent of the population is in the Below Poverty Line category.

As much as 60 per cent of the country's poor reside in the RHM States.

The fundamental principle for launching the scheme is the globally defined link between poverty and ill-health.

High infant mortality rate, maternal mortality rate and total fertility rates and resurgence in communicable diseases are said to be the major concerns.

Basic health care

At the centre of the plan is the recognition that population stabilisation needs effective basic health care, access to quality family welfare services.

At the national level, the Ministry has proposed convergence of the National Family Welfare Programme, reproductive and child health, and malaria, leprosy, kala azar, blindness, iodine deficiency, filaria and tuberculosis programmes.

The National AIDS and Cancer programmes are not included in this.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National