New Delhi: The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has drawn up a ‘health manifesto’ and distributed it to around 60 lawmakers across all national parties ahead of general elections.
IMA said it has handed over copies to MPs from the BJP, Congress, TMC, DMK among others so that health is included in their election manifestos.
“Unlike in US, health is never a part of political promise in election. So this time, along with this manifesto, we are also preparing a state-based manifesto which every state medical associations will hand over to all political parties,” said IMA president Dr RV Asokan.
The manifesto highlights a series of major health concerns in India and ways those can be tackled.
These include communicable and non communicable diseases, zoonotic diseases and antimicrobial resistance.
The body criticized the Centre’s marquee Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) scheme, saying small-scale private hospitals in tier-2 and tier-3 cities are on the verge of shutting down because scarce resources are going to already-funed government hospitals.
“Ayushman Bharat is not needed for government sector hospitals, they are already serving the poor patients. “
“Around 66% of the patient care is done at government hospitals, then why there is a need for Ayushman Bharat in government sector? Public hospitals are already free, more than 60% of the scheme money is going to the funds of government hospital, then what is the point of paying 15% to insurance companies,” Dr Asokan noted.
The manifesto highlights that despite the introduction of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), interoperability remains a major obstacle which is further complicated by fragmented electronic health records and inconsistent patient information.
“For healthcare providers, data security, preserving provider and patient privacy remains a concern. Insufficient digital skills and AI literacy among healthcare professionals necessitate comprehensive training programs. Access to digital tools and infrastructure limitations, particularly in rural areas, exacerbate equitable distribution,” the manifesto stated.
The manifesto also has put up recommendations for ABDM such as conducting a landscape analysis, with assistance from IMA, to develop state-specific digital health strategies and roadmap in India, focusing on regional health challenges, technological capabilities, and cultural aspects.
“Develop a standardized framework for digital health practices in India that promotes innovation, integrates emerging technologies, and adapts to evolving healthcare needs. Also establish a clear focus on digital technology being an enabler for achieving comprehensive primary healthcare and universal health care (UHC), through end-to-end digitization across the care continuum, with a backbone of the ABDM framework and adoption of frugal digital health technologies. Adopt Phygital health models that combine physical and digital aspects of healthcare delivery, to bridge the urban-rural healthcare gap, ensuring that rural communities gain better access to primary, preventive, and specialty healthcare services,” it added.
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Published: 18 Feb 2024, 11:45 PM IST