Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 150
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 151
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 148]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 181]
LATEST NEWS UPDATES | ‘Bill should grant health care as universal entitlement’ by Aarti Dhar

‘Bill should grant health care as universal entitlement’ by Aarti Dhar

Share this article Share this article
published Published on Jan 28, 2010   modified Modified on Jan 28, 2010


Civil society organisations have demanded the speedy passage and implementation of the proposed National Health Bill, 2009, but with certain changes that ensure health as a universal entitlement to all sections of society.

Srinath Reddy, president of the Public Health Foundation of India, sought a National Health Act to ensure equitable distribution of medical facilities across the population.

“The National Health Act should be on the lines of the Right to Education Act and, in fact, should have been brought about earlier as health is more important than education,” Dr. Reddy said.

Arguing that finances had never been a problem for the government when compared to the subsidies being doled out for industries and the petroleum sector, Dr. Reddy said the health and nutrition sectors had got nothing from the Budget.

‘No clear provisions’

Opposing the draft Bill that had been put up on the Health and Family Welfare Ministry’s website for comments, Colin Gonsalves of the Human Rights Law Network said there were no clear provisions for free services to the poor and no regulations on controlling the prices of drugs. The preamble of the Bill states: “There is need to have an overarching legal framework and a common set of norms and values to facilitate the government’s stewardship of private health sector as a partner.”

Speaking at a national consultation on the draft Bill, organised by the Centre for Legislative Research and Advocacy and Oxfam here on Thursday, Mr. Gonsalves said that instead of talking about the need to strengthen the public health system, the draft Bill seemed to be pushing health care services towards privatisation.

‘Should be unambiguous’

Abhay Shukla of the Support for Advocacy and Training to Health Initiatives said the Bill did not mention anything about a regulatory mechanism or the rights of a patient.

“The Bill should be clear and unambiguous in granting health care as universal entitlement. It should prevent privatisation and outsourcing to explicitly state the public health norms,” Mr. Shukla said while seeking to know how strong the political will was behind pushing the Bill through. He added that public health spending needed to be increased substantially.


The Hindu, 29 January, 2010, http://www.hindu.com/2010/01/29/stories/2010012960201300.htm
 

Write Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

Video Archives

Archives

share on Facebook
Twitter
RSS
Feedback
Read Later

Contact Form

Please enter security code
      Close