-Frontline Health activists say the Health chapter of the Twelfth Plan document exaggerates the role of the private sector in providing Health care. The draft chapter on Health for the Twelfth Five Year Plan document not only is grossly inadequate in its approach but exaggerates to unrealistic levels the role of the private sector in providing Health care. It invokes the concept of universal Health care (UHC), but, critics say, it...

-Live Mint The Sonia Gandhi led-National Advisory Council (NAC) on Friday formed a working group on universal Health coverage for phasing-in the roll-out of the proposed scheme in the 12th Five-Year Plan period. Meanwhile, differences persist between the Health ministry and the Planning Commission on the role of insurance and the private sector within the universal Health coverage (UHC) plan. Health ministry and Planning Commission officials presented their views to the NAC on...

-The Hindu The National Advisory Council has set up a two-member working group to study the report on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) prepared by the High Level Expert Group and the government’s proposal to expand the scope of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and convert it into a National Health Mission. The two-member group, comprising Mirai Chatterjee and A.K. Shiva Kumar, will work closely with the Ministry of Health and Family...

-The Telegraph In a primary Health centre in eastern Jharkhand, the angry shouts of a nurse punctuated the occasional wails of a woman in her early-20s who was in labour pain and only minutes away from delivering her baby. Each time a uterine contraction evoked a yell or a wail or the woman sought a more comfortable position during labour, the nurse or other Health workers admonished her, asking her to shut...

-The Hindu Stereotypical government policies and global approaches persist in family planning programmes. Urmila is a 40-year-old domestic worker in western Uttar Pradesh. The mother of six children, all girls, she is now pregnant again and is keen on carrying on with the pregnancy. Her husband is unemployed and is an alcoholic. His relatives have assured her that they will help her to bring up the child and have also hinted...