New Delhi, April 06, 2017: The revision in the national health policy is a landmark event as this has been revised in India after 14 years. The policy highlights the increased spend in healthcare which will go up to 2.5% of GDP, hopefully in the next 5 to 10 years. As a cancer care hospital, the policies introduced for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are of prime importance to us. According to the World Health Organization, an Indian today has over twice the odds of dying of a non-communicable disease than a communicable disease. As the cost involved in care and equipment of NCDs is extremely high, hence increasing spend in communicable diseases will help reach out to a large populations in India. The policy also recognizes that there are certain types of cancers which can be addressed early through screenings. The proposition to train ASHA workers across the country for oral, breast and cervical cancer treatment is a great initiative as it will help early detection and reduce mortality rate even in the lower strata of the society. As a lot of patients rely on treatment from private institutions, managing costs for generic drugs and medical devices will be hugely beneficial. Along with this, we need to ensure that the cost of diagnostics and medical equipment is also controlled. The ‘Make in India’ thrust in the healthcare segment will help in initiating technology development, clinical trials, research and innovation so that India can have access to advanced medical care at the same time as the western countries. After heart and lung disease, cancer is the third largest cause of death in the country and I hope that the health policy would have a separate section to address the issues in cancer care.”
Corporate Comm India(CCI Newswire)
