{"id":74146,"date":"2020-12-24T10:44:46","date_gmt":"2020-12-24T05:14:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.forumias.com\/?p=74146"},"modified":"2020-12-24T11:24:31","modified_gmt":"2020-12-24T05:54:31","slug":"why-call-for-a-comprehensive-public-health-act-was-much-needed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/why-call-for-a-comprehensive-public-health-act-was-much-needed\/","title":{"rendered":"Why call for a comprehensive Public Health Act was much needed?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Context<\/span><\/b>\u00a0\u2013 India\u2019s COVID-19 management explained by parliamentary panel and the key recommendation.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What are the key findings of parliamentary standing committee?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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  1. Low beds ratio<\/span><\/b>\u2013 Before COVID-19 pandemic, t<\/span>he avai<\/span>lability of government beds were terribly<\/span>\u00a0low in India. This amounts to 0.55 beds per 1000 population<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. \u00a0<\/span>T<\/span>he burden of extending comprehensive healthcare has been borne by the Government hospitals as private hospitals were either \u201cinaccessible or not affordable<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. \u00a0<\/span>Low government spending \u2013\u00a0<\/span><\/b>Public expenditure<\/span>\u00a0on health accounts for only 1.13<\/span>% of the total health expenditure which is\u00a0<\/span>extremely<\/span>\u00a0low when compared to WHO recommendation of 5%.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\n
      \n
    1. Results in l<\/span>ack of infrastructure<\/span>\u00a0in public hospitals.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
    2. \u00a0<\/span>Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI)\u00a0<\/span>has capped the maximum age of entry for a standard policy at 65, which affects older citizen during such crises.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
    3. Surge in insurance premiums up to 25 percent in the wake of the pandemic\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      What are the recommendations of parliamentary\u00a0<\/span><\/b>committee?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Need for a comprehensive Public Health Act<\/span><\/b>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<\/span>Taking note of complaints against private hospitals, it advocated the need for a \u201ccomprehensive Public Health Act\u201d at national level with provisions to keep \u201cchecks and controls\u201d over private hospitals.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\n
          \n
        1. The proposed<\/span>\u00a0Act should also keep a check on the black marketing of medicines and product standardization<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
        2. The panel has called for an omnibus law that will curb profiteering during\u00a0<\/span>such crises and<\/span>\u00a0it can serve a larger purpose if it covered overall system reforms,<\/span>\u00a0\u202faddressing misguided policies<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
        3. Cashless\u00a0<\/span><\/b>health insurance<\/span><\/b>\u2013\u00a0<\/span>The committee strongly recommends that the target should be to make COVID-19 treatment cashless for all people that are having insurance coverage<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          \u00a0<\/span>However, the committ<\/span><\/b>ee missed out on a few observations<\/span><\/b>\u2013<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n