(a) whether the Union Government have approved a new National Health Policy;
(b) if so, the salient features of the new policy;
(c) the expenditure likely to be incurred on implementation of the scheme during 2002-2003; and
(d) the manner in which the out lay would be shared by the Union Government and the State Governments?
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SHRI A. RAJA)
(a) to (d): A statement is laid on the Table of the Lok Sabha.
STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO THE LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 713 FOR 15TH MAY 2002
(a)&(b): A new health policy, the National Health Policy 2002 has been approved by the Government. The main objective of the new policy is to achieve an acceptable standard of good health amongst the general population of the country. The new policy covers wide ranging issues related to health such as financial resources; equity; delivery of national public health programmes; health infrastructure; role of private sector, local self-Government institutions and NGOs; health education and manpower; health research; quality control of drugs and food; disease surveillance, impact of globalisation on the health sector, etc.
(c)&(d) As part of the implementation of the National Health Policy 2002, schemes with a total outlay of Rs.27 crores which include providing drugs to primary health sector with an outlay of Rs.14 crores; urban health with an outlay of Rs. 7 crores; medical grants commission with an outlay of Rs.5 crores and health accounts with an outlay of 1 crore have been initiated during 2002-03. In these schemes, there is no obligation on the part of the State Governments to share the expenses except in the scheme of urban health where sharing between Centre, State and local self-governments is stipulated in the ratio of 50:30:20 respectively. However, the policy envisages that the State Governments would increase their commitment of resources to 7% of the budget by 2005 and 8% of the budget by 2010.