AAP, CPI-M belt out their vision of healthcare at JSA meet

Jan Swasthya Abhiyan, the Indian circle of the People's Health Movement, drew the attention of political parties to issue of healthcare at a national convention organized by the Indian Social Institute here.

Representatives of political parties such as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Communist- Party of India- Marxist (CPI-M) shared their views on the health sector in India.

Joining in the discussion, Madhulika Banerjee of the AAP laid stress on the fact that the AAP seeks to promote all of its political initiatives based on the concept of Swaraj or good governance. She said that since the AAP was a new party, it is bound to make mistakes, but dwelled on the fact that health and education are important aspects of the AAP political agenda.

She called for a strengthening of public services in the form of reinvigorating government hospitals, dispensaries, and providing generic drugs to the common man.

Banerjee also called for the regulation of private hospitals to strengthen the hands of patients.

The AAP representative was aghast to note that the current policy of the government in the health sector like that of Ayush (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy) is more a product and industry-oriented.

This, she said, needs to be more accessible on the ground, and for this, training of people by strengthening the community-based system through state institutions, is the need of the hour.

Sudha Sundaram of the CPI-M highlighted her party's manifesto for the upcoming general elections.

She said that CPI-M has come out with an agenda to promote health for all. Interestingly CPI-M has taken a stand of repealing Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the party is of the view that the Supreme Court has taken a regressive stand in this matter. She also stressed on the fact that her party would like to give a push in health sector where it has earmarked five per cent of the GDP for this sector in the medium term.

The party has called for stopping privatization of healthcare services, and instead, looks forward to training healthcare personnel and provide diagnostic facilities free of charge, as well opening up of more generic medicine outlets.

The CPI-M in its manifesto gives a major push on manufacturing home-made drugs and healthcare devices. It has taken into account of the welfare for those patients who go for clinical trials and have sought fair compensation for those patients based on practicing ethical clinical trials.

Sandhya Shelly, who took part in the meet, said that one of her demands would be to see that the new government sets aside at least five to six per cent of our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for health sector.

She also vouched for those women volunteers who work as 'midwives' or commonly referred to as 'Dai' in India to be made permanent.

She gave an example before the audience that at least 25-26 per cent of child deliveries of Adivasi women takes place in Madhya Pradesh with the help of these midwives, and asked for them to be included as part of the NHRM (National Health Rural Mission).

Paul Divakar, who represents the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR), alleged that crores of money which was supposed to be spent on mariginalised people of society like the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, were diverted for the Commonwealth Games.

He also regretted the apathetic attitude of the government, accusing it of being more corporate oriented.