Govt. attaches top priority for free drugs, diagnosis services to achieve goal of health for all

The Central Government on Thursday decided to set up fifteen model rural health research centres in the states to ensure better healthcare facilities in rural India.

The health centres will take up research on local health issues concerning rural population.

Presenting his maiden budget in Parliament, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that to move towards "Health for All", two key initiatives like the Free Drug Service and Free Diagnosis Service would be taken up on a priority basis.

Jaitley said that in order to achieve universal access to early quality diagnosis and treatment to TB patients, two National Institutes of Ageing will be set up at AIIMS, New Delhi and Madras Medical College, Chennai. A national level research and referral Institute for higher dental studies would be set up in one of the existing dental institutions.

Jaitley informed the House with great satisfaction that all the six new AIIMS at Jodhpur, Bhopal, Patna, Rishikesh, Bhubaneswar and Raipur, which are part of Pradhan Mantrai Swasthya Suraksha Yojana, have become functional. A plan to set up four more AIIMS like institutions at Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Vidarbha in Maharashtra and Poorvanchal in UP is under consideration.

He announced a sum of Rs 500 crores for this purpose. He said at present 58 government medical colleges have been approved and proposed to add 12 more such colleges. In addition, dental facilities would also be provided in all the hospitals, he added.

Jaitley said that for the first time, the Centre will provide assistance to strengthen Drug Regulatory and Food Regulatory Systems in states by creating new drug testing laboratories and strengthening the 31 existing state laboratories.