-The Hindu Achieving universal health coverage through an equitable system is among the key goals of India's 12th Plan. Within the overall objective of creating an entitlement-based health care system, one of the challenges is access to medicines. The High Level Expert Group instituted by the Planning Commission on Universal Health Coverage underscores serious policy distortions and inefficiencies that stand in the way of making essential medicines accessible to all. A...
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Delhi: 75-year old is 'medicine baba' for the poor by Priyanka Dube
A 75-year old in Delhi goes door to door collecting unused medicines. Omkar Nath takes his entire collection to NGOs and hospitals that work for the poor. At 75, Omkar has a booming voice and a strong will. No wonder that many have named him as the Medicine Baba and eagerly wait for his arrival as they have been doing for the past four years. A Delhi resident Col Devender Singh said,...
More »FDI in retail: Shutdown hits life in Himachal Pradesh
-IANS Shops and commercial establishments were closed in Himachal Pradesh's major towns Thursday as workers of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) as well as traders protested the decision to allow foreign direct investment (FDI) in retail. However, there was no report of traffic being held up due to the strike. There was also no report of violence anywhere, an official at the police headquarters here...
More »Dream-health test for govt by GS Mudur
The Planning Commission has received a sweeping set of recommendations that proposes free health care and medicines for diverse needs to all Indian citizens, irrespective of economic means. Whether or to what extent the proposals — described as “even bigger” than the UPA’s blockbuster job scheme — will be accepted will depend on the political and executive leadership. If the government throws its weight behind the initiative, it will effectively mean...
More »Panel on health coverage addresses World Bank concerns by Aarti Dhar
The High Level Expert Group on Universal Health Coverage for India on Sunday held a brainstorming session here to address concerns raised by the World Bank over some of the recommendations in its report for the 12th Five Year Plan. Among the issues raised were marginalisation of the private sector and the “elimination of intermediation by insurance companies.” The expert group, which will revert to the Planning Commission on Monday with...
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