Modi First Indian PM to Prioritise Universal Health Coverage: The Lancet
New Delhi, Sept 14: A noted UK-based medical journal has said Narendra Modi is India’s first prime minister to prioritise universal health coverage (UHC) as part of his political platform under the ‘Ayushman Bharat’ scheme, even as it added that Congress chief Rahul Gandhi was “yet to match Modicare”.
Richard Horton, editor-in-chief of the The Lancet, said the prime minister has grasped the importance of health not only as a natural right of citizens, but also as a political instrument to meet the growing expectations of the emerging middle class of India, which is engulfed in a “swirling epidemic of non-communicable diseases”.
“Rahul Gandhi seeking to resurrect the Congress and prove that India’s greatest political dynasty still has something to offer, despite his promises to help lower castes, tribal communities and rural poor, is yet to match Modicare,” Horton said in an article published in the journal.
The Lancet editor-in-chief asserted that health will be a decisive issue in next year’s general election in the country.
With reference to five India-specific disease burden studies on non-communicable diseases published in The Lancet group of journals on Wednesday, Horton said, “as the BJP and Congress set out competing and contrasting visions for India’s future, health will rightly become a decisive issue in next year’s general election”.
Referring to Gandhi’s statement of “There is a full-blown crisis in India” at the London School of Economics last month, he said the Congress president was referring to a “job crisis”, but the five papers published across three Lancet specialty journals have revealed that there was also a “health crisis” in India.
“After years of neglect, the Indian government has at last recognised the perils of public discontent about health. Under a new initiative called Ayushman Bharat launched this year, Prime Minister Modi has implemented two new flagship programmes.
“Ayushman Bharat has two pillars – the creation of 1,50,000 health and wellness centres across the country to provide a spine of primary care facilities to deliver universal health coverage; and the National Health Protection Mission (NHPM), a health insurance aimed at providing coverage of Rs 5 lakh per family annually, thus benefiting more than 10 crore poor families,” said the article.
“Together, these twin programmes should improve access to quality health services and reduce out-of-pocket health expenditures,” it said.
Horton in the article said Modi’s stated goal is to build a new India by 2022.
“Rahul Gandhi has spoken about a ‘modernising impulse’ in India and the possibility of ‘a transformation of 1.3 billion people’. Modi has grasped the importance of health not only as a natural right for India’s citizens, but also as a political instrument to meet the growing expectations of India’s emerging middle class.
“Modi is the first Indian Prime Minister to prioritise universal health coverage as part of his political platform. Rahul Gandhi, despite his promises to help lower castes, tribal communities, and the rural poor, has yet to match Modicare,” the article said.
Horton said the five Lancet papers have also revealed a dangerously rapid epidemiological transition with Ischaemic heart disease being the leading individual cause of disease burden in India, while the contribution of cardiovascular diseases to total deaths has almost doubled since 1990.
“While India is engulfed in this swirling epidemic of non-communicable diseases, the country is also in the grip of a mental health emergency. India could claim 18% of the world’s population in 2016, yet it accounted for 37% of global suicide deaths among women and 24% among men,” the article added.
Courtesy: thewire.in
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Punjab CM Mann lays foundation stone of Rs 14.63 crore sports stadium in Sangrur
Sangrur (PTI): Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday laid the foundation stone of a Rs 14.63 crore modern sports stadium here, underscoring that expanding access to quality playgrounds alongside a strong education system is key to steering the youth towards "purpose, performance, and global achievement".
The stadium coming up on 4.38 acres in Satouj will offer professional training and host a wide range of sports including badminton, handball, judo, netball, basketball, volleyball, football, gymnastics, kabaddi and karate, according to an official release.
"It is a historic day for the region as this stadium is coming up at a cost of Rs 14.63 crore. This stadium will be constructed over an area of 4.38 acres, and the complex will host various sporting activities," Mann said.
"The stadium will have a 200-metre athletic track, pavilion for spectators and players and a multipurpose indoor sports hall," he said.
While highlighting the wide range of facilities being created, Mann said professional training opportunities will be provided to children and youngsters in the stadium, adding that this project will ensure that the area emerges as a sports hub.
Emphasising the importance of balanced development, he said, "When there is a good school for education and a proper ground for sports, a child can bring glory to their village, state, and country on the global stage."
Reaffirming the Punjab government's focus on youth development, Mann said, "It is a matter of immense pride and satisfaction that the Punjab government is successfully providing world-class facilities for education and sports."
This project will help in further breaking the backbone of drugs by fostering sporting culture in the state, and it will help in channelising the unbounded energy of youth of state in a positive manner, he said.
Such stadiums will play an important role in helping the youth stay away from the curse of drugs and in order to encourage the youngsters to realise their dreams of winning medals in national and international sporting events, the CM said.
Later, Mann launched an ultra-modern community health centre here that aims to benefit the residents of 85 villages. It is equipped with round-the-clock emergency services, surgical facilities, treatment for serious illnesses and specialist care for children, he said.
Mann alleged that previous governments neglected regions like Dirba and kept development restricted. He said his government is reversing this by investing public money back into villages through hospitals, schools, libraries and roads.
"To impart quality health services to people, we have dedicated the CHC at village Kauhrian... This ambitious project has been completed at a cost of Rs 13.23 crore and the centre has a capacity of 30 beds," he said.
He further noted, "The CHC will also have paediatric specialists for treating children's diseases, and free treatment along with all necessary tests for mothers and children will be provided."
Mann added that dental treatment will also be provided by a specialist at the facility.
