The Eleventh Plan highlighted various
health issues in the country, which inter-alia included high Maternal Mortality
Ratio (MMR), Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) and Total Fertility Rate (TFR) and called for initiatives for improving health care
indicators. Various initiatives taken by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
in partnership with States/UTs have resulted in improvement of health care
indicators in the country. MMR in India declined from 254 per one lakh live
births for the period 2004-06 to 212 per one lakh live births during the period
2007-09. IMR registered a decline of 14 points from 58 per 1000 live births in
2005 to 44 per 1000 live births in 2011. TFR declined from 2.6 in 2008 to 2.5
in 2010.
Government
has taken several steps during the Eleventh Plan which inter alia, included the following :
(1) Effective implementation of
National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) to provide primary and secondary
healthcare. The main focus areas of NRHM include improvement in heath
infrastructure, providing adequate human resources to man health facilities and
to provide quality health care service.
(2)Effective planning and
implementation of Reproductive Child Health (RCH) related intervention which
inter-alia include development of Community Health Centres (CHCs) as First
Referral Units (FRUs), Upgradation of Primary Health Centres (PHCs) as 24x7
PHCs, implementation of JananiSurakshaYojana (JSY) and JananiShishuSurakshaKaryakaram
(JSSK), Life Saving Anesthetics Skills (LSAS) and Emergency Obstetric Care (EmOC) training of
doctors, improved ante-natal, intra-natal and post natal care, development of Special Newborn Care Units
(SNCUs), Newborn Care Units (NBCUs) and Newborn Care Corners (NBCCs), Home
based newborn care, distribution of contraceptives through Accredited Social
Health Activists (ASHAs), improving access to spacing and terminal methods etc.
(3) Making available
tertiaryhealth care services through
strengthening of hospitals and establishment of AIIMS like institutions in the
country.
(4) Up-gradation of existing Government
medical colleges across the country.
(5)Effective Implementation of programmes for control of communicable and
non-communicable diseases.
(6) Mainstreaming of Indian System of
Medicine and Homeopathy.
(7) Increased public allocation for
health programmes.
Moreover,
the Twelfth Plan strategy is to strengthen initiatives taken in the Eleventh
Plan to further expand the reach of health care with focus on vulnerable and
marginalized sections of population. The Plan envisages substantial expansion
and strengthening of the public health systems and provision of robust primary
health care.
As per the 12th Five Year
Plan document, total public funding by the Centre and States, plan and
non-plan, on core health is envisaged to increase to 1.87 per cent of GDP by
the end of the Twelfth Plan. When viewed in the perspective of the broader
health sector, the total Government expenditure as a proportion of GDP is
envisaged to increase to 3.04 per cent by the end of the Twelfth Plan. The
allocation of 12th Five Year Plan for Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare has been substantially increased to Rs. 300018 crore.
Pic Source:the hindu.com
