Health-for-all goal achievable in a year: Swaraj

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Health-for-all goal achievable in a year: Swaraj

8-February-2004

New Delhi, India's Health Minister Sushma Swaraj Saturday said the

country's health-for-all goal could be achieved in a year. This could

be made possible by appointing one doctor and one health worker for

every 500 households, Swaraj said at a press conference to mark the

completion of one year in office.

This was one of the recommendations she would make to a commission

comprising the finance minister and the health minister that had been

set up to prepare a report on increasing public spending from the

current 0.9 percent of the central budget to around two percent or

more on health care services.

" I would be submitting a proposal to the commission to appoint one

health worker and one doctor for every 500 households, " Swaraj said.

The two-member medical team would ensure that all preventive measures

were taken in time to ensure better health.

" We will take all systems of medicine along and feel that this plan

will help India achieve its objective of health for all in just one

year, " said Swaraj, who will Monday launch a new private-public

partnership for maternal health care programme named Vande Mataram.

Under this, the services of a large number of experienced

gynaecologists in the private sector would be recruited to render a

day's free service every month to poor pregnant women.

" Around 1,500 gynaecologists have so far been enlisted for this

programme. On the same lines we hope to recruit services of trained

doctors in various disciplines to help implement the health for all

programme, " Swaraj said.

" We envisage a requirement of Rs.10 billion for implementation of the

programme to or mobilise services of around 400,000 doctors all over

the country, " the minister said.

" The traditional view in economics has been that higher national

income will enable larger expenditure on health. But now it is

realised that better health of citizens facilitates larger incomes.

Investment in health therefore makes good economic sense, " she said.

While giving details of some of the programmes launched in the last

one year, the minister said her aim was to ensure that everyone

received health care at the doorstep for better preventive measures

and timely treatment.

From setting up a task-force to promoting India as a health tourism

destination, to finalising plans for an All India Institute of

Ayurveda in the capital, Swaraj said her focus during the one-year

tenure as health minister had been to promote well being.

On the HIV/AIDS programme, the minister said from April 1 the

government would introduce a scheme to provide anti retroviral (ARV)

drugs to AIDS patients. This would include children below 15 years,

pregnant women, their husbands and lactating mothers.

While India has an estimated 3.82 million to 4.5 million HIV cases,

there are around 62,000 AIDS cases.

Indo-Asian News Service

http://www.keralanext.com/news/index.asp?id=25952