Innovative programmes needed for better health care: Nadda

Emphasising on the need for novel strategies to address emerging challenges in the health sector, Union minister J P Nadda today urged states to come up with proposals for innovative programmes for better delivery of services.
Releasing the 10th Common Review Mission (CRM) report of the National Health Mission (NHM), Nadda said ensuring quality health care in both public and private sector is a key priority of the government and that the findings in the report will help evaluate the implementation of the programme.
The CRM team visited 16 states and UTs, including nine high focus states, five non-high focus states and two UTs, and reviewed different parameters like service delivery, quality assurance, human resources, procurement of drugs, diagnostics and supply chain management.

He also stressed on the need for developing necessary sturdy health care systems for eliminating diseases like leprosy, malaria, and kala-azar among others.
"Strong health care systems need to be put in place and time-bound and structured disease elimination plans need to be developed," Nadda said.
Nadda further said that several new initiatives targeted towards expanding access and reducing costs have been launched in the last three years to achieve universal health care.

He informed that under the universal screening of common non-communicable diseases, everyone above the age of 30 years will be screened in 100 districts of the country in the first phase.

Gradually, it will cover the entire country and around 50 crore people will be covered so that timely intervention can reduce the disease burden in the country.
Speaking at the event, Minister of State for Health, Anupriya Patel said that CRM is an important mechanism for review of NHM as it helps in conducting intense interaction on the ground for review of processes and quality.