The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has linked the National Institute of Communicable Diseases, Delhi with Ahemdabad, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bhopal, Bangalore and Raipur for integrated disease surveillance.  This satellite linkage through EDUSAT is used to monitor and review the health schemes with the States, to survey the diseases prevalent in different locations, to train public health officials through teleconferences, to achieve emergency preparedness to send rapid health missions to contain the outbreak of any disease etc.

Regional strategy on HIV/AIDS was formally launched at the 3^rd Conference on SAARC Health Ministers in Dhaka.  Control of HIV/AIDS and Avian influenza also came for discussion in the two-day Conference.

A three-day National Conference on Research in HIV/AIDS was organised in New Delhi.  The delegates said that media is a powerful medium for shaping the public opinion in the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS.    They also said that India needs to develop research institutions in a significant way to conduct meaningful research and prevention and control for HIV/AIDS.  Research based information and inputs are lacking to guide Government policy on prevention/treatment against the disease.  About 700 people attended the Conference held in April 2006.

Forty six new Anti Retroviral Treatment (ART) Centres for AIDS patients will be operational by the middle of June this year to meet the increasing demand.  The new centres are five in Maharashtra, 8 in Andhra Pradesh, 8 in Karnataka, 2 each in Manipur, Nagaland, Kerala, Punjab, Bihar and 1 each in Delhi, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Assam, Orissa, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Uttranchal, Chhattisgarh, Tripura, Meghalaya and Mizoram. 

Fifty-four centres are already in operational as on April 30, 2006, providing free treatment to 28,665 patients.  In these total 100 centres, an estimated 85,320 patients will be provided free treatment during the current financial year. 

Ayurveda and Sidha

The Government has decided to designate the Central Council for Research in Ayurveda and Sidha, New Delhi, as the Secretariat for the Ayurveda Pharmacopoeia Committee.  It has also decided that the APC will finalise the Pharmacopoeia standards for 100 classical compounded Ayurveda formulas every year and complete the work within a period of 3-4 years.

Packaged Food Product

The Government has issued a notification to further amend the Prevention of Food Adulteration Rules 1955.  The amendment is in respect of the use of food additives in different food products to align with codex standards.   As per the amendment, the quantity of each ingredient used in the packaged food product should be declared and complete nutritional information be provided on the labels to enable consumer group take their own decision for consumption of such food products.

National Commission on Population

The first meeting of the reconstituted National Commission on Population was held under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister in July last year.  In the meeting it was decided to conduct an annual health survey of all districts, which could be published annually so that health indicators at a district level are periodically published, monitored and compared against benchmarks.  It was also decided to set up 5 Groups of experts for studying the population profile of Bihar, UP, Rajasthan and Orissa to identify weaknesses in the health delivery systems and to suggest measures to improve the health and demographic status.  Accordingly, 5 expert Groups were constituted in September 2005.

National Rural Health Mission

The National Rural Health Mission was launched on April 12, 2005. It seeks to provide effective healthcare to rural population throughout the country with special focus on 18 States, which have weak public health indicators and weak infrastructure. These 18 States are Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Jammu & Kashmir, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Madhya Pradesh, Nagaland, Orissa, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttaranchal and Uttar Pradesh.

The Mission aims at undertaking architectural correction of the health system to enable it to effectively handle increased allocations as promised under the National Common Minimum Programme and promote policies that strengthen public health management and service delivery in the country.

It has a provision of a female health activist in each village; a village health plan prepared through a local team headed by the Health & Sanitation Committee of the Panchayat; strengthening of the rural hospital for effective curative care and made measurable and accountable to the community through Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS); and integration of vertical Health & Family Welfare Programmes and Funds for strengthening delivery of primary healthcare.

It seeks to revitalise local health traditions and mainstream Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (AYUSH) into the public health system.

It aims at effective integration of health concerns with determinants of health like sanitation and hygiene, nutrition, and safe drinking water through a District Plan for Health.

It seeks decentralisation of programmes for district management of health.

It seeks to address the inter-State and inter-district disparities, especially among the 18 high focus States, including unmet needs for public health infrastructure.

It shall define time-bound goals and report publicly on their progress.

It seeks to improve access of rural people, especially poor women and children, to equitable, affordable, accountable and effective primary healthcare.

 

Mission’s Goals

 

Ø                   Reduction in Infant Mortality Rate and Maternal Mortality Ratio

Ø                   Universal access to public health services such as Women’s health, child health, water, sanitation & hygiene, immunisation and Nutrition

Ø                   Prevention and control of communicable and non-communicable diseases, including locally endemic diseases

Ø                   Access to integrated comprehensive primary healthcare

Ø                   Population stabilisation, gender and demographic balance

Ø                   Revitalise local health traditions and mainstream AYUSH

Ø                   Promotion of healthy life styles

 

Progress on NRHM

 

Ø                   Out of Rs. 6318.6 crore allocated, an amount of Rs. 5,520 crore has been released for all Programmes under the National Rural Health Mission (84%)

Ø                   Over 5 million children in transit administered polio drops

Ø                   Accelerated Routine Immunization taken up in all Empowered Action Group (EAG) states

Ø                   Catch up rounds taken up in Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and Assam and other states.

Ø                   Groundwork for expansion of Hepatitis vaccine to 11 states finalised.

 

Poliovirus

In view of predominance of Type 1 Poliovirus, Government of India has revised the strategy for use of monovalent OPV 1 in the States of UP, Bihar, Delhi and Mumbai based on the advice of WHO and other experts. Monovalent OPV 1 vaccine was indigenously made available in a record time.

To reach every eligible child during the pulse polio round, apart from the strategy of vaccinating children at fixed booths and house to house visit, efforts in vaccinating children in transit at railway stations, inside long distance trains, major bus stops, market places, religious congregations, major road crossings etc. through out the country have been intensified.  Through these efforts 5 million children in transit have been effectively administered polio drops from May 2005 immunisation rounds.

Janani Suraksha Yojana

Janani Suraksha Yojana, JSY has been launched all over the country to promote safe delivery.

Incentive has been given for Below Poverty Line families of Rs. 1,300 for safe delivery in EAG States, Assam and J & K and Rs. 1000 in all other States.

 

Assistance is also being given for Caesarian section.

 

New Programmes and Innovations

Ø                   RCH II launched and under implementation

Ø                   Sterilisation compensation scheme launched by the Centre

Ø                   Integrated Management of Neonatal and Childhood Illnesses started this year in 16 States namely Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, Delhi, Mizoram, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttaranchal, Bihar, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka  

Ø                   With the help of Neonatology Forum, training on Newborn Care has been completed in 140 districts

Ø                   Integrated Disease Surveillance Project operationalised

 

Intersectoral Convergence

 

Ø                   Convergence with Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)/Drinking Water/Sanitation / AYUSH/National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) ground work completed

Ø                   School health programmes initiated by various States

Ø                   Monthly Health day being organised at the Anganwadi Centres

Ø                   Integrated District Plan exercise taken up.  Completed by 3 EAG States. District plans finalised in 109 Districts

 

Institutional arrangements

Ø                   State Health Missions constituted in all States/UTs.

Ø                   State launch along with orientation of DMs/CMOs completed in 15 focus states.

Ø                   Merger of Departments of Health & Family Welfare completed in all states except Uttar Pradesh, Goa and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

Ø                   Merger of State level societies in 27 States. Rest in process.

 

Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA)

ASHA will be the first port of call for any health-related demands of deprived sections of the population, especially women and children, who find it difficult to access health services. She will be a health activist in the community who will create awareness on health and its social determinants and mobilise the community towards local health planning and increased utilisation and accountability of the existing health services.

Ø                   Number selected as on March 31, 2006: 1,98,622

Ø                   Mentoring Group for ASHA set up and meetings held.

Ø                   ASHA Training modules finalised.

Ø                   State/District/Block level trainers completed.

 

Human Resource Development

Ø                   Doctors, ANMs being appointed on contract by States;

Ø                   Appointments of Gynecologist/Anesthetists on contract under RCH-II

Ø                   Task Force on medical education set up

Ø                   700 professionals (CA/MBA) appointed for EAG States in the Programme Management Units (PMU) to support NRHM.

 

Partnership with Non Government Stakeholders

 

Ø                   225 Mother NGOs appointed for 331 districts

Ø                   Providing services, RCH out reach services, Ambulance Services, Mobile Medical Units, Mentoring of ASHA, Management of Health facilities (as in Gujarat, Tamil Nadu etc), Involvement of Medical colleges, Training programmes, ICCI, Partnership in polio/ immunization programmes

 

Infrastructure

 

Ø                   Facility Survey completed in 17 States.

Ø                   Untied funds of Rs.10,000 released to all sub-centres in the country.

Ø                   Indian Public Health Standards finalized for Community Health Centres (CHCs).

Ø                   Two CHCs per district identified for upgradation (Total 1341 CHCs) and funds released to all States.

Ø                   3589 Rogi Kalyan Samitis set up (against 1600 planned)

Ø                   Mobility support being given for outreach programmes in the underserved areas. 109 District Action Plans prepared in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Sikkim, Andhra Pradesh, Pondicherry, Uttaranchal, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat. Others in process.

 

 

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