-The Hindu The National Health Protection Scheme is disconnected from primary care. It also needs to be scaled up It is unusual for a health programme to become the most prominent feature of a Union Budget. The previous government missed the bus when it failed to implement the recommendations of the High-Level Expert Group on Universal Health Coverage (2011). Yet, those recommendations resonate in the Budget of 2018, with commitment to universal...

-The Indian Express The focus in the Union Budget on tertiary healthcare at the cost of primary and secondary healthcare is flawed. A publicly-financed health insurance scheme is no substitute If the past three Union budgets were any indication, this budget’s approach to the health sector should not have surprised anyone. The prescription in the National Health Policy (NHP) 2017 to increase the government’s (Centre and the states together) health expenditure from the...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Healthcare emerged as the buzzword of the 2018-19 Budget, mainly due to the announcement of the Rs 5-lakh healthcare insurance each for 10 crore families, but the sector didn't get mega allocations. For one, the total budget of the health ministry stands at Rs 56,226 crore — an increase of 12% over the previous year. The National Health Policy 2017 indicated that health expenditure would increase...

-The Indian Express At the root of the insecurities of Marathas, Jats and Patels lies lack of education and employability The recent clash in Pune district between the Mahars and Marathas reflects the anti-Dalit prejudice of the latter, but it needs to be analysed in the context of the changing status of dominant castes, not only in Maharashtra but across India. The claims of Patels, Jats and Marathas to be considered as...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: India's largest association of doctors today called for a 12-hour nationwide shutdown of outpatient and routine services on Tuesday to protest against a bill that proposes a new regulatory structure to replace the corruption-tainted Medical Council of India. The Indian Medical Association, seeking to intensify its opposition to the National Medical Commission 2017 bill tabled by the Union health ministry in Parliament on Friday, has asked doctors to...