National Health Policy, 2017

The goal of the policy to attain the highest level of health and wellbeing for all at all ages, through a preventive and promotive health care orientation in all developmental policies, and universal access to good quality health care services.

Principles of National Health Policy

Objectives

  • Progressively achieving Universal health coverage
  • Reinforcing trust in Public Health care system
  • Align the growth of private health care sector with public health goals

The policy proposes a potentially achievable target of raising public health expenditure to 2.5% of the GDP in a time bound manner.

Specific Targets under National Health Policy

  • Increase Life Expectancy at birth from 67.5 to 70 by 2025.
  • Reduce Fertility Rate to 2.1 by 2025.
  • Reduce Infant Mortality Rate to 28 by 2019.
  • Reduce Under Five Mortality to 23 by 2025.
  • To reduce premature mortality from cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes or chronic respiratory diseases by 25 per cent by 2025.
  • Reducing the prevalence of blindness to 0.25 per 1000 persons by 2025.
  • Reduce disease burden by one third from the present levels.
  • Achieve the global 2020 HIV target (also termed 90:90:90 global targets).
  • Eliminate leprosy by 2018, kala-azar by 2017 and lymphatic filariasis in endemic pockets by 2017.

Major Features

  • It seeks a shift to comprehensive primary health care package, including geriatric, palliative and rehabilitative care and improvements in secondary care at the district level. There is a need to increase financing for additional infrastructure or human resources.
  • It aims to address primary health care needs of the urban population, prioritizing poor populations living in slums, homeless, rag-pickers, street children, rickshaw pullers, construction workers, sex workers and temporary migrants.
  • It aims to improve communicable disease control programmes by strengthening of public health systems.
  • It recognizes that improved access, education and empowerment is the basis of successful population stabilization.
  • It aims to strengthen women’s access to healthcare, and enhance the prospects of women and child survival.
  • It ensures access to AYUSH remedies through co-location in public facilities.It would also prioritize the utilization of AYUSH personnel in urban health care.
  • It proposes financial and non-financial incentives, creating medical colleges in rural areas, preference to students from under-serviced areas, realigning pedagogy and curriculum to suit rural health needs, mandatory rural postings, etc.
  • It recognizes the need to improve regulation and quality management of nursing education.
  • It also advocates scaling of various initiatives in the area of tele-consultation.
  • It also recognizes the role of health research and calls for regulating medical devices and equipment, drugs, vaccines, and clinical establishments etc.

Principles Of National Health Policy

  • Professional, Integrity and Ethics - in entire healthcare system
  • Equity - in providing healthcare
  • Affordability
  • Universality - of healthcare
  • Patient Centred and quality of care
  • Accountability
  • Inclusive partnerships - with NGOs, academia etc
  • Pluralism - of healthcare systems
  • Decentralisation - in decision making
  • Dynamism and Adaptiveness

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