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The Supreme Court on Tuesday decided to examine pleas challenging the Rs 50 lakh cap on Centre's assistance for treating patients suffering from rare diseases like spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar said the petitions on the cap of Rs 50 lakh central assistance to treat diseases would be heard by a bench headed by Justice P S Narasimha in the week commencing May 13. The bench said pharma firm M/s F Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, which manufactures the SMA drug Risdiplam priced at Rs 6.2 lakh a bottle, had agreed to supply the medicine for free for a year to 24-year-old Seba PA, who hails from Kerala, and suffers from the disorder. She had previously moved the Kerala High Court, which directed the Centre to provide an additional Rs 18 lakh worth of medicines to Seba beyond its Rs 50 lakh cap. The top court on February 24 stayed the high court order after taking note of the Centre's appeal that it couldn't be compelled to ..
The health coverage for all citizens aged 70 years and above irrespective of their income status under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) is likely to be rolled out by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 29, an official source said. The U-WIN portal developed for maintaining an electronic registry of routine immunisations, which is currently operational on a pilot basis, will also be launched by the prime minister on the same day. Besides the two, some other projects will also be launched on Tuesday, the source said. The U-Win platform, which is a replication of the COVID-19 vaccine management system Co-WIN, has been developed to keep a permanent digital record of vaccination of pregnant women as well as children from birth up to the age of 17 under the Universal Immunization Programme. "The PM is likely to launch the expanded scheme under the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme for those aged 70 years and above. It will benefit an estimated six
Echoing the urgency of healthcare reforms ranging from restructuring of Ayushman Bharat Yojana (AB-PMJAY) to accelerating the digital health mission, experts and industry leaders have outlined key priorities for the Modi government in its third consecutive term. Their statements highlight the importance of prioritising preventive healthcare measures, strengthening infrastructure, and increasing healthcare spending. Healthcare experts have expressed concerns about whether the government in its new term will make any difference by increasing public expenditure on healthcare to the desired level in India. Notably, the National Health Policy (NHP) 2017, which promises to increase public health spending to 2.5 percent of the GDP, remains overdue even as Indians rely heavily on private services. Dr Girdhar Gyani, Director General, AHPI (Association of Healthcare Providers, India) said, "In the upcoming term, we urge the government to prioritise a comprehensive approach to fostering a ...