National Health Policy (NHP), 2017

About NHP, 2017– It is the new(2017) National Health Policy after previous ones of 1983, 2002.

  • It aims at achieving universal health coverage and delivering quality health care services to all at affordable cost.

Rationale for bringing new policy:

  • The health priorities are changing. For example, growing burden on account of non-communicable diseases and some infectious diseases.
  • The emergence of a robust health care industry estimated to be growing at double digit.
  • The growing incidences of catastrophic expenditure due to health care costs, which are presently estimated to be one of the major contributors to poverty.
  • A rising economic growth enables enhanced fiscal capacity. Therefore, a new health policy responsive to these contextual changes is required.

Targets set under the NHP 2017:

  • Increasing life expectancy to 70 years from 67.5
  • Reduce fertility rate to 2.1 (Replacement levels) by 2025.
  • Reduce infant mortality rate to 28 by 2019.
  • Reduce Under Five Mortality to 23 by 2025.
  • Reducing premature mortality from cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes or chronic respiratory diseases by 25% by 2025
  • The policy seeks to achieve ’90:90:90′ global target by 2020 – implying that 90% of all people living with HIV know their HIV status, 90% of those diagnosed with HIV infection receive sustained anti-retroviral therapy and 90% of those receiving anti-retroviral therapy will have viral suppression.
  • Reducing the prevalence of blindness to 0.25 per 1000 persons by 2025 and
  • The disease burden to be reduced by one third from the current levels.
  • Elimination of leprosy by 2018, kala-azar by 2017 and lymphatic filariasis in endemic pockets by 2017.

Policy thrust

  1. Ensuring Adequate Investment – The policy proposes a potentially achievable target of raising public health expenditure to 2.5% of the GDP in a time bound manner.
  2. Preventive and Promotive Health – The policy identifies coordinated action on seven priority areas for improving the environment for health:
    • The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan
    • Balanced, healthy diets and regular exercises.
    • Addressing tobacco, alcohol and substance abuse
    • Yatri Suraksha – preventing deaths due to rail an d road traffic accidents
    • Nirbhaya Nari – action against gender violence
    • Reduced stress and improved safety in the work place
    • Reducing indoor and outdoor air pollution
  3. Organization of Public Health Care Delivery – The policy proposes seven key policy shifts in organizing health care services.
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