By Sumaiya
Top plans and policies to boost the healthcare initiative in the north eastern states of India
Food and nutrition, clean water, housing, access to health care, and access to education are the most essential basic human needs for citizens of any civilized society. The North Eastern states of India are not very homogeneous because of their geographical location, rugged terrain, high rainfall, vast hilly region, large forest areas, and large number of ethnic groups. As a result, it is difficult to easily provide all 47 million people in the region with routine healthcare initiative at any time. In addition, healthcare services in the North Eastern states of India have not yet become accessible to everyone as anticipated due to inadequate communication infrastructure.
In terms of physical infrastructure and affordable service delivery to patients, especially women and children, the healthcare services in the North Eastern states of India is still in its infancy. Dutta, assistant professor at the University of Science and Technology in Meghalaya, is of the opinion that digitalization has the potential to revitalize the healthcare industry in India’s North Eastern states.
The North Eastern states are geographically isolated and have poor connectivity to India’s mainland. Working on quality accessibility of administration conveyance through computerized systems is an arising part of medical care administrations in the North Eastern territories of India. By sending reports, images, and having online conversations, the patient can receive adequate guidance from well-known health institutions. In addition, people’s health-seeking behavior will improve and travel time and costs will be cut. Maternal health care is a highly recommended area. Digitalization of maternal healthcare can enhance pregnant women’s monitoring, tracking, and referral systems.
The North Eastern states are distinct from the rest of India in terms of ethnicity, culture, and history. Additionally, the Central and State governments of India have implemented a number of policies to improve healthcare services in the North Eastern states.
1.Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana: Ayushman Bharat: The world’s largest health insurance/assurance scheme is Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), a healthcare initiative in the North Eastern states of India that was launched in 2018 as one of Ayushman Bharat’s pillars. It is fully financed by the government. According to the most recent Socio-Economic Caste Census data, it provides financial protection, or Swarthy Suraksha, to 10.74 crores of poor, disadvantaged rural families and identified occupational categories of urban worker families. Benefit coverage in the amount of Rs.5 lakh annually per family. In The North Eastern states of India, this program has authorized more than 10.7 lakh hospital admissions from 2018-19 to 2021-22.
2.On September 27, 2021, the Ayushman Bharat – Digital Mission was launched. This healthcare initiative in the North Eastern states of India aims to establish a unified online platform that will facilitate interoperability in the digital healthcare ecosystem. Citizens will be able to create their Ayushman Bharat Health Account numbers as part of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, which will link their digital health records to them. Improved clinical decision-making by healthcare providers and the creation of health records for individuals across multiple providers will result from this. As of the 28th of March 2022, a total of Ruskin The North Eastern states of India, 27,07,588 Health IDs, or Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission numbers, have been created.
- On December 15, 2017, the Government of India approved the North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme as a new Central Sector Scheme. In accordance with the guidelines of the NESIDS scheme, the projects of physical infrastructure relating to water supply, power, and connectivity enhancing tourism as well as social infrastructure relating to the primary and secondary sectors of education and health receive 100% central funding from the state governments of The North Eastern states of India. In the two most recent fiscal years, 2019-2020 and 2020-21, 54 projects totaling Sunder the North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme, 1320.49 crores have been approved. This healthcare initiative in the North Eastern states of India is critically important.
- In 1998, the Planning Commission established the Non-Lapsable Central Pool of Resources (NLCPR), a healthcare initiative in the North Eastern states of India. After that, in 2001, it was given to DoNER.The NLCPR Scheme’s goal is to fund projects that the State Governments have prioritized in order to close the infrastructure funding gap in India’s North Eastern States.
Major Medical and Healthcare Achievements in the Last Eight Years Under NLCPR:
- Medical College construction in Nalbari, Assam, funded by NLCPR at a cost of Rs.217.82
- A 50-bed hospital was built in Lawngtlai, Mizoram, for Rs.11.92 billion
- District Hospital of Dhalai: Tripura, Phase II (Hospital Quarters), Rs.11.32 core.
- Hospital for the North District: Tripura, Phase II (Hospital Quarters), Rs.11.10 core.
- The Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for the North-East, PM-DevINE, was announced by the Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs while presenting the Union Budget 2022-23. It is the most recent healthcare initiative in the North Eastern states of India.PM-DevINE received an initial allocation of Rs 1,500 core for the years 2022 and 2023.The “Establishment of Dedicated Services for the Management of Paediatric and Adult Haematolymphoid Cancers in North-East India,” which will be located at the Dr. B. Borooah Cancer Institute (BBCI) Guwahati and be estimated to cost Rs 129 core, is one of the major projects identified under this scheme. Given that 3,855 adults and children with haematolymphoid cancer have sought treatment at BBCI over the past 11 years, this healthcare initiative is anticipated to significantly improve cancer care in the region.
India spends the least on healthcare in its budget, less than some SAARC members, and even this money is sometimes wasted. Health-related out-of-pocket costs are exacerbated by inadequate public health spending. The perceived necessity of traveling to other cities for treatment increases costs in the North Eastern states of India.
Although Ayushman Bharat appears to be a good program, it is too early to comment on its implementation. However, if implemented correctly, it ought to be beneficial to the patients of this region. The lack of human resources is the primary obstacle to enhancing healthcare services in the North Eastern states of India. Departments of education and healthcare services need to get more people to take courses that are good for the industry. Additionally, it is necessary to speed up the implementation of healthcare projects. More attention needs to be paid to cancer prevention than anything else, with a focus on reducing alcohol, betel nut, and tobacco use.
