Initiatives and Achievements of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare: A Year End Review

The Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan:

• It  is aimed at reducing maternal and infant mortality rates through safe pregnancies and safe deliveries.
• It provides special free antenatal care across the country in order to detect and prevent high risk pregnancies.
• One of the aims is to identify and follow-up on high risk pregnancies in order to reduce MMR and IMR.

Mother’s Absolute Affection:

• It is launched in an attempt to bring about the promotion of breastfeeding and provision of counselling services for supporting breastfeeding through health systems.
• The chief components are Community awareness generation, strengthening inter personal communication through ASHA and skilled support for breastfeeding at delivery points in public health facilities.

Rota virus vaccine:

• Rotavirus is the most common cause of diarrhoeal disease among infants and young children.
• Nearly every child in the world is infected with rotavirus at least once by the age of five. Immunity develops with each infection, so subsequent infections are less severe.
• Rotavirus A, the most common species, causes more than 90% of rotavirus infections in humans.
• So, in order to prevent the morbidity and mortality in children due to rotavirus, Rotavirus vaccine was introduced in Universal Immunization Programme in a four states as recommended by the Expert Committee constituted for the same.

Adult JE vaccine:

• Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is a flavivirus related to dengue, yellow fever and West Nile viruses, and is spread by mosquitoes. JEV is the main cause of viral encephalitis.
• JE vaccination was expanded in adult population of districts with high disease burden of adult JE.
• Recently, 21 high burden districts been identified for adult JE vaccination.  Adult JE vaccination campaign activity has been completed in 3 districts of Assam and selected blocks of 3 districts of West Bengal and campaign is ongoing in selected blocks of 6 districts of Uttar Pradesh.

Mission Indradhanush:

• It aims to immunize all children under the age of 2 years, as well as all pregnant women, against seven vaccine preventable diseases.
• The diseases being targeted are diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, poliomyelitis, tuberculosis, measles and Hepatitis B.
• 201 districts will be covered in the first phase. Second phase of MI continued in Jan 2016 in 352 districts. Phase III, from  April to July 2016  in 216 districts of the country.
• During all the three phases, 2.08 crore children have been vaccinated of which 54.5 lakh children have been fully immunized.
• According to Integrated Child Health and Immunization Survey 2016, full immunization coverage has increased by about 5-7% after the launch of mission Indradhanush.

Family Planning:

• Three new methods have been introduced in the National Family Planning program - Injectable Contraceptive DMPA (Antara); Centchroman pill (Chhaya); Progesterone-only pills (POP) – for lactating mothers.
• New Family Planning Media Campaign has been introduced. A 360 degree holistic Family Planning campaign has been launched with Shri Amitabh Bachchan as the brand ambassador.

Intensified Diarrhoea Control Fortnight (ICDF):

• IDCF was observed from 11th to 23rd July across the country.
• ORS corners administered Oral Rehydration Salts and Zinc to children who are in need of these during diarrhoea.
• With a sharpened focus on demand generation, an important component of the IDCF is IEC activities that shall not only create awareness but also generate demand.
• 21 lakh children could be prevented from hospitalisation and death due to Diarrhoea last year.

National Deworming Day:

• The National Deworming Day was observed on 10 February 2016. It is the largest ever single-day public health campaign in the world targeting approximately 27 crore children throughout the country at risk of parasitic worm infection.
• Several districts in 14 States have been excluded from the deworming initiative this year as they have already covered during Mass Drug Administration in Lyphatic Filarsis program of the Health Ministry.

Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LSAI):

• LASI is the largest study on older population in the country.
• The International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai in collaboration with Harvard School of Public Health and University of Southern California, is undertaking the the LSAI under the aegis of the Ministry of Union Health and Family Welfare.
• LASI will contribute greatly to the newly launched the National Programme for Health Care for the Elderly (NPHCE) and the social and economic security programmes planned to be initiated by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
• LASI will help in expanding the scope of health and social security policy and programmes for older population.

Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Programme:

• It is being provided to all States for provision of free dialysis services for poor.
• All States/UTs were requested to incorporate proposals for roll out of National Dialysis Programme in Programme Implementation Plans for 2016-17.

Centre for Integrative Medicine and Research (CIMR) at the AIIMS:

• CIMR – for convergence of contemporary medicine with India’s ancient and traditional medical practices.
• Here where top experts from various disciplines of contemporary medicine will collaborate with Yoga and Ayurveda specialists, both for disease treatment, and for preventive healthcare.
• It has been designed as a perfect platform to establish the efficacy of our traditional methods of healing, which in turn should pave the way for their greater international scientific acceptability.

I.T. Initiatives:

1. Swasth Bharat Mobile application: To empower the citizens to find reliable and relevant health information. It provides information regarding healthy lifestyle, disease conditions, symptoms, treatment options, first aid and public health alerts.
2. ANM Online application (ANMOL): It allows Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANMs) to enter and update data for beneficiaries of their jurisdiction. This will ensure more prompt entry and updation of data, since it is entered “at source” by providers of health services themselves.
3. E-RaktKosh initiative: It is an integrated Blood Bank Management Information System. This web-based mechanism interconnects all the Blood Banks of the State into a single network.
4. India Fights Dengue: This App empowers the community members how to contribute towards prevention of Dengue.
5. Kilkari: Delivers time-appropriate 72 audio messages about pregnancy, child birth and child care directly to families’ mobile phones from the second trimester of pregnancy until the child is one year old.
6. Mobile Academy: is a free audio training course designed to expand and refresh the knowledge base of ASHAs and improve their communication skills. It also reduces the need to travel – sometimes great distances to learn – and provides them the flexibility.
7. M-Cessation: It aims at reaching out to those willing to quit tobacco use and support them towards successful quitting through text messages. This is first time in the world that such a two way service is being provided as part of any mHealth initiative.
8. National Health Portal: Launched to provide healthcare related information to the citizens of India and to serve as a single point of access for consolidated health information.
9. National e-Health Authority: It will help avoid problems arising out of uncoordinated induction of IT systems in hospitals and public health systems. There would be a provision of Electronic Health Records (EHR) of patients.
10. M-Diabetes initiative: With a missed call to 011-22901701 the caller can get more information on Diabetes and how to prevent and manage it. One can also log on to www.mdiabetes.nhp.gov.in for more information.

Disease Control:

• 500 Cartridge Based Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (CBNAAT) machines inducted in the TB programme. The CBNAAT is a revolutionary rapid molecular test which detects Mycobacterium tuberculosis and rifampicin drug resistance, simultaneously. It can be used in remote areas without sophisticated infrastructure or specialized training.
• Bedaquiline was launched as part of the RNTCP. The drug is a new anti-TB drug for treatment of MDR-TB.
• Third line ART programme for People Living with HIV: The life-saving third line ART costs nearly Rs. 1.18 lakh per patient per year. Providing these free would not only safe lives but improve socioeconomic conditions of the patients.
• Control of Communicable diseases:
  • National Framework for Malaria Elimination strategy includes preventive measures by source reduction, engineering methods, use of Long Lasting Insecticidal Nets, early case detection, complete treatment etc.,
  • ‘National Dengue Day’ was observed on 16th May 2016. ‘Strategy and Plan of action for Effective Community Participation for Prevention and Control of Dengue’ has been shared with the States/UTs.
  • ASHAs were involved in source reduction activities (emptying containers to prevent breeding of vector mosquitoes) for Dengue prevention and control.
  • Kala-azar is targeted for elimination by 2017 and Lymphatic Filariasis by 2020.
• Non-Communicable Diseases:
  • Under national programme for prevention and control of cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and stroke (NPCDCS), 356 district NCD cells and 356 district NCD clinics have been established.
  • AYUSH facilities and methodologies and yoga integrated with NPCDCS services.
  • Scientific study commissioned to document impact of yoga on diabetes (S-VYASA University and HLL).

Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana:

• It aims at correcting regional imbalances in the availability of affordable/reliable tertiary healthcare services and also augmenting facilities for quality medical education in the country.
• Cabinet approved establishment of new AIIMS at Gorakhpur and Bathinda under under Phase-IV and V of PMSSY respectively.
• Cabinet also approved up-gradation of 13 Government Medical Colleges under Phase-IV of PMSSY.

National Eligibility – Cum Entrance Test (NEET):

• To provide a firm constitutional status to the concept of Uniform Entrance Examination for all undergraduate and post graduate admissions in Medical/Dental Colleges while providing a relaxation to the State Governments in relation to only UG admissions for this year [2016-17] in view of their difficulties.
• NEET-UG for admissions to all medical and dental colleges in the country will be conducted in 6 regional languages besides Hindi and English next year.

National Health Protection Scheme:

• Envisages health cover of up to Rs. 1 lakh per family for poor and economically weak families. For senior citizens of aged 60 years and above in this category there is an additional top-up package up to Rs. 30,000.

Organ Transplant:

• Government has launched National Organ Transplant Programme for carrying out the activities as per Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994 training of manpower and promotion of organ donation from deceased persons.
• An apex level organization, National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization has been set-up at Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi for National networking, National Registry, to provide an online system for procurement and distribution of Organs & Tissues and to promote Deceased Organ and Tissue Donation.
• Standard Operating Procedures for various vital organs has been approved and uploaded on NOTTO website. More than 1 lakh pledges for organ donation received.

Seventh Session of the Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control:

• During the conference, parties renewed their commitment to the Convention, both as a public health treaty and as a Goal under Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development (Goal -3).
• They also stressed the importance of continued research and study by WHO into the social and economic determinants of tobacco use in all its forms as well as the strategies for their control.

6th BRICS Health Ministers’ Meet:

• The Ministers adopted the BRICS TB Cooperation Plan and supported the recommendations made by the BRICS workshop on HIV and Tuberculosis, held in Ahmedabad.
• They agreed to set up a BRICS network on TB Research and creation of a research and development consortium on TB, HIV and Malaria.

Biomedical Equipment Management and Maintenance Program:

• A massive exercise to map the inventory of all bio-medical equipment was undertaken in the year 2016 including their functionality status.
• Under BMMP, support is being provided to the State governments to outsource medical equipment maintenance comprehensively for all the equipment across all the facilities.
• There has been a reduction in dysfunctionality rate of about 25% with downtime of 3-4 months to about 5% with maximum downtime of 7 days.

Category: Mains | GS-II | Health

Source: PIB