Govt launches National Healthcare Policy; hike in healthcare expenditure

Jagat Prakash Nadda, the health minister in the Modi-led government launched a patient-centric scheme under the National Healthcare Policy on March 16, 2017. Nadda announced a hike in the government's spending on healthcare from 1.2 per cent of GDP to 2.5 per cent of GDP  under the policy scheme. While identifying primary healthcare as the most significant segment, the minister also announced a surge of 66 per cent in the government's expenditure on primary healthcare in the nation. 

The healthcare policy aims to make primary healthcare 'universal and comprehensive' in order to raise the quality of life across the nation, aiming to increase the infant mortality rate from a present mortality rate of 41 to 28 by the year 2025. the government has also have early screening for children in order to detect deficiencies and recoup for them.    
  
The healthcare policy will also execute a transformation of 1.5 lakh sub healthcare centers into wellness centers to ensure a wider reach of the wellness programs. The government has also planned to ensure the availability of 2 beds per one thousand population in a region to combat shortage of beds in the hospitals and healthcare centers.      

Further, identifying the lags in the healthcare segment, the policy aims to increase life expectancy from 67.5 years at present to 70 years by 2015. While the policy will also focuses on bringing down the fertility rate from 2.4 at present to 2.1 by 2025. Whereas, the policy aims to decrease the maternal mortality from 178 at present to 100 by 2025.  

The government also recognized that more than 60 per cent of death is caused by non-communicable diseases, thus, working to provide for universal screening to detect cancer and diabetes in their early stages, besides detecting other grievous diseases. The government is also working to provide a more affordable healthcare service, putting a special emphasis on primary healthcare, while, also increasing the government's spending on healthcare. 

The cited policy of the government is also working to improve the healthcare delivery system by also involving the private sector in a bid to make the healthcare system more efficient.