National Health Policy, 2015
India’s third {draft} National Health Policy was released in 2015. Prior to this, two National Health policies (1983 and 2002) had served in guiding the approach for the health sector in the Five-Year Plans and for different schemes. Since 2002 when the last Health policy was formulated, things have changed and therefore it called for a new Health policy in order to address the concerns of the day today.
Key proposals of the policy
The goal of the new health policy is attainment of the highest possible level of good health and well-being, through a preventive and promotive health care orientation in all developmental policies, and universal access to good quality health care services without anyone having to face financial hardship as a consequence.
Increasing Public Health Expenditure to 2.5% of GDP
Draft NHP-2015 envisages increasing the public expenditure to health from present 1% to 2.5% of GDP. However, the draft neither gives a timeline to achieve this nor explains how funds will be mobilized except increasing taxes on alcohol and tobacco, gains from medical tourism and possibility of creating a health cess on the lines of education cess. The proposed cess will come from industries that are unhealthy and toxic: “Extractive industries and development projects that result in displacement or those that have negative impacts on natural habitats or the resource base can be considered for special taxation extractive”
National Health Rights Act
The policy calls for making health as justifiable right and envisages enactment of National Health Rights Act in order to make health a fundamental right.
Private Participation
The policy envisages private participation in delivering the health services through a well networked public health delivery system. Further, it calls for ensuring universal access to free drugs and diagnostics in government hospitals.
Non-communicable Diseases
For the first time, Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) have been included in the national health policy. In recent decades, the NCDs have emerged as major cause of mortality in India.
National Urban Health Mission (NUHM).
There is a special focus on the urban poor and the policy underlines the need to set up a National Urban Health Mission (NUHM).
Urban ASHAs
The policy calls for developing a cadre of urban accredited social health activists (ASHA). The policy also calls for greater synergy and cooperation between ASHAs and auxiliary nurse midwives (ANMs).
Health Research
The policy underlines the importance of health research in the country and makes a case for a Department of Health Research though not much detail about its function has been given. Policy also talks about need for India to contribute to global health research, and develop its own policy in international health and health diplomacy. It says that India should be an equal partner rather than mere recipient of technical assistance in field of health.
Conclusion
India suffers from gaps in public health policy and implementations; and therefore National Health Policy seeks to address the urgent need to improve the performance of health systems. The changes which led to the formulation of the new health policy include-Firstly, Health Priorities are changing. The second important change in context is the emergence of a robust health care industry growing at 15% compound annual growth rate (CAGR). Thirdly, incidence of catastrophic expenditure due to health care costs is growing and is now being estimated to be one of the major contributors to poverty. Fourthly, economic growth has increased the fiscal capacity available. Therefore, the country needs a new health policy that is responsive to these contextual changes.
