Jan Arogya Abhiyan tells Maha to address healthcare crisis

Jan Arogya Abhiyan, a statewide coalition of civil society organisations working on health issues since 2000, has asked the Maharashtra government to take a series of steps to implement the National Health Policy 2017.

The group said that it is important to address the serious ‘illness’ of public health services in the state.

Dr Abhay Shukla, Convenor, Jan Arogya Abhiyan (JAA), said, “At present, the expenditure on healthcare is around 0.5 per cent of the GDP, but to bring it to the levels that the National Health Policy recommends, it will have to be increased by 35 per cent anually for the next eight years.”

The healthcare budget of the state is a combination of expenditure by the state and Centre of which the state contributes 65 per cent. But providing resources is not enough, said the group. Managing them and ensuring that plans are rolled out efficiently is crucial, especially in rural areas.

“Funds can be lost to corruption. A community can monitor a primary healthcare centre much more efficiently. While it does happen in a significant way in Maharashtra, we want it to be generalised now,” he said.

THEIR DEMANDS

• Increase in state health budget by 35% for 2017-18, and raise it by the same level every year till 2025
   
• Implement ‘Karnataka model’ where graduating MD/MS doctors are required to compulsorily serve in public hospitals for 3 years.
   
• Enact long-pending ‘Patients Rights Act’ to protect rights of patients in private hospitals
   
• Generalise community-based monitoring across public health services in Maharashtra