National Health Policy (NHP), 2017

About NHP, 2017– It is the new(2017) National Health Policy after previous ones of 1983, 2002.

• It aims at achieving universal health coverage and delivering quality health care services to all at affordable cost.

Rationale for bringing new policy:

• The health priorities are changing. For example, growing burden on account of non-communicable diseases and some infectious diseases.
• The emergence of a robust health care industry estimated to be growing at double digit.
• The growing incidences of catastrophic expenditure due to health care costs, which are presently estimated to be one of the major contributors to poverty.
• A rising economic growth enables enhanced fiscal capacity. Therefore, a new health policy responsive to these contextual changes is required.

Targets set under the NHP 2017:

• Increasing life expectancy to 70 years from 67.5
• Reduce fertility rate to 2.1 (Replacement levels) by 2025.
• Reduce infant mortality rate to 28 by 2019.
• Reduce Under Five Mortality to 23 by 2025.
• Reducing premature mortality from cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes or chronic respiratory diseases by 25% by 2025
• The policy seeks to achieve ’90:90:90′ global target by 2020 – implying that 90% of all people living with HIV know their HIV status, 90% of those diagnosed with HIV infection receive sustained anti-retroviral therapy and 90% of those receiving anti-retroviral therapy will have viral suppression.
• Reducing the prevalence of blindness to 0.25 per 1000 persons by 2025 and
• The disease burden to be reduced by one third from the current levels.
• Elimination of leprosy by 2018, kala-azar by 2017 and lymphatic filariasis in endemic pockets by 2017.

Policy thrust

1. Ensuring Adequate Investment – The policy proposes a potentially achievable target of raising public health expenditure to 2.5% of the GDP in a time bound manner.
2. Preventive and Promotive Health – The policy identifies coordinated action on seven priority areas for improving the environment for health:
   • The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan
   • Balanced, healthy diets and regular exercises.
   • Addressing tobacco, alcohol and substance abuse
   • Yatri Suraksha – preventing deaths due to rail an d road traffic accidents
   • Nirbhaya Nari – action against gender violence
   • Reduced stress and improved safety in the work place
   • Reducing indoor and outdoor air pollution
3. Organization of Public Health Care Delivery – The policy proposes seven key policy shifts in organizing health care services.