National Health Policy Suggests 1.5% Rise In Spending, Maximum Focus On Primary Care

The National Health Policy (NHP) 2017, released on Thursday (16 March) after approval by the Union Cabinet a day before, has highlighted increasing of government expenditure on healthcare to 2.5 per cent of the GDP from the current 1 per cent.

This has been one of the strongest demands by various stakeholders, including industry and healthcare groups, as India’s public healthcare expenditure has been one of the lowest in the world and it remained at the same level for several decades despite several proposals for improving the public healthcare system.

Another key point that the policy has pushed forward in the NHP, which was updated after 15 years, was the allocation of majority resources, at least two-third of the total allocation, for primary healthcare.

The biggest failure in India's public healthcare system has been the poor focus on primary healthcare. Thus the NHP seems to be an attempt to plug serious loopholes in the country’s existing healthcare system, especially by strengthening primary health centres and district hospitals.

With these changes, along with a few other new suggestions, the government is apparently trying to provide healthcare services to at least a significant population with a comparatively more improved mechanism.

Releasing the details of the latest NHP, Union Minister J.P. Nadda said on Thursday that it aims to assure "healthcare services for all" by reaching healthcare in an assured manner to all, particularly the under-served and underprivileged.

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had given its nod to the policy on Wednesday. The policy has been pending for the last two years after it was drafted and put for public suggestions in 2014.

According to other highlights in the NHP, the government has also expanded the areas covered at the Primary Health Centres (PHCs). Till now, the PHCs were only for immunisation, anti-natal checkups and others. But with the new approach, it will also cover screening of non-communicable diseases and a whole lot of other aspects, including preventive care and wellness. There will also be a bigger focus on upgrading district hospitals. The NHP also for the first time talks about an implementation framework.

The NHP 2017 also aims at increasing life expectancy to 70 years from 67.5 and reduce fertility rate to 2.1 by 2025 and proposes free diagnostics and drugs at all public hospitals. The Policy, which emphasises the need of introducing Yoga much more widely in schools and work places as part of promotion of good health, also aims at reducing Under-Five Mortality to 23 by 2025 and Maternal Mortality Rate to 100 by 2020. In line with the Millennium Goal of the World Health Organisation, it ultimately targets to reduce infant mortality rate to 28 by 2019 and neonatal mortality to 16 and still-birth rate to single digit by 2025.

The policy also seeks to achieve and maintain elimination of leprosy by 2018, kala-azar by 2017 and lymphatic filariasis in endemic pockets by 2017.

The other key highlight of the Policy is its attempt to empower patients by setting up tribunals where patients can seek redressal of grievances over treatment. This is a significant in the lieu of the new Policy’s theme of assuring healthcare to all.

The draft of this policy was placed in public domain in December, 2014 and according to health minister, it had over 5000 suggestions and the policy was finalised after consultations with State governments and other stakeholders. The consultation with State governments was important as healthcare is a State subject and the central schemes and these policy suggestions are ultimately implemented by the State governments.