Human Resources Health Bill to be introduced in Par soon

New Delhi, Oct 1 (PTI) Indian Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh on Friday said a bill for setting up a National Council
for Human Resources in Health will be introduced in Parliament
soon to address issues of quality, quantity and equitable
distribution of medical education resources.
Addressing students at the 38th convocation ceremony
of the All India Institute of Medical Resources, he said the
government has tried to address the critical lacunae of
inadequate public provisioning for critical health services.
"The 11th five year plan envisaged an increase in
public expenditure on health to at least two per cent of the
GDP. This percentage was below one per cent at the start of
the 11th plan and has increased to only 1.1 per cent in 2009
according to the mid-term appraisal.
"There is clearly much more to do and a large effort
will be required in the twelfth plan period to achieve the
goal of taking the total allocation for the health sector to
2-3 per cent of GDP. Since most of the expenditure on health
is in the state budget, the state governments will also have
to substantially increase their expenditures," he said.
Observing that in India as well as globally, there is
a growing sense that medical education needs a revamp to adapt
it to contemporary needs and realities, Singh said the need of
the hour is to produce professionals who address health not
only from the perspective of the individual patients but as
part of a team integrated into the larger health system.
"India needs many more health professionals, of
different categories to fill the huge shortfall," the Prime
Minister said, adding the Government is reviewing the existing
regulatory system for medical education.
"After extensive consultations, the ministry of health
has prepared a draft bill for setting up a National Council
for Human Resources in Health that will be introduced soon in
Parliament. The bill will seek to create an enabling
environment that will address issues of quality, quantity and
equitable distribution of medical education resources," he
said.
Highlighting the health policy of his government, he
said in recent years, the government has adopted a more
inclusive and holistic approach towards providing health
security in the country, emphasising therein the importance of
improved sanitation, nutrition and clean drinking water.
Singh said the Valiathan Committee formed to look
into the modernisation of AIIMS has submitted its
recommendations and a high-powered committee was looking into
it. "A high-powered group is looking into the statutes," he
added.
Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said government
has roped in experts from the IIM, Ahmadabad, to streamline
management procedures in AIIMS. PTI SPC
AHM