Healthcare and Covid-19 (August 2021)

Healthcare and Covid-19

  • India is known as the World Pharmacy being the largest producer of generic medicines accounting for 20% of global production.
  • It also manufactures more than 60% of all vaccines sold across the globe.
  • India is the world՚s second largest exporter of Ayurvedic & Alternative Medicines with a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 22% during 2015 - 20.
  • As of now around 39 crore people have been vaccinated in India and 342 crore people globally.

Steps Taken by Indian PM Post the Pandemic in 2020

  • Ensured timely lockdown saved lakhs of lives.
  • Creation of extensive support system through setting up of COVID-19 warriors′ network and a national workforce.
  • Aatmanirbhar Bharat economic stimulus relief package of 20 lakh crore amounting to 10% of GDP.
  • 80 crore people being given free food grains under PM Garib Kalyan Yojana.
  • 20 crore women Jan Dhan holders being given ₹ 500 per month for three months.
  • MGNREGA wage rate was increased to ₹ 202 per person per day and is benefiting 13.62 crore families.
  • Support to Indian vaccine manufacturing companies.
  • India has the world՚s highest Covid-19 recovery rate of around 95% .
  • Primary healthcare facilities in India are provided through:
    • Primary Health Centres
    • Community Health Centres
    • Sub-District⟋Divisional Hospitals
    • District Hospitals

NDHM

  • National Digital Health Mission.
  • Launched by the PM on India՚s 74th Independence Day in August 2020.
  • It is being implemented by the National Health Authority (NHA) under the Ministry of Health and Family welfare, GOI.
  • To create a digital health ecosystem for India featuring health ID, personal health records, Digi Doctor and health facility registry.
  • e-pharmacy and telemedicine services to be included later.

Technology Driven Growth

Through the introduction of emerging technologies like Artificial intelligence (AI) , Robotics, Augmented reality (AR) , Virtual reality (VR) , 3D Printing and 3D imaging could be seen in India՚s healthcare sector.

Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana

National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Bill, 2021

  • Through the bill, a central commission with the provision of ten (10) separate councils will regulate fifty-six (56) highly skilled professions in the healthcare industry and will also protect and enhance the overall standard of healthcare in the country.
  • Aim is to regulate and maintain standards of education and services by allied and healthcare professionals in India.
  • There are around 12.5 lakh allopathic practitioners registered with MCI or state medical councils and around 21.5 lakh registered nurses & midwives.
  • An estimated 61 lakh healthcare workers are active in India which include doctors, nurses, interns, trained practitioners, lab technicians, Ayush professionals, ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) workers and final year students related to the healthcare sector.

Covid-19 Impact

  • More than 3.50 lakh lives lost in the second wave.
  • About 88% of all deaths comprised people in the age group 45 and above.
  • Responsiveness and efficacy of the building blocks of health systems can be significantly enhanced by answering three policy questions around UHC which is covered (questioning the extent of population coverage) , which services are covered (questioning the extension of the program to services) , what amount of costs are covered (questioning the overall financial design of the said program) .

India COVID-19 Emergency Response & Health System Preparations Package (ECRP) : Phase II

  • ₹ 23,123 crore allocated for FY 2021 - 22 with the aim to Prevent, Detect and Manage the continuing threat posed by COVID-19.
  • Strength Health System Preparedness at Central Level and in States⟋UTs.
Support under the Central Sector (CS) Component
  • Support to Central Hospitals, AIIMS and other Institutions.
  • Central War Room.
  • IT Systems including COVID-19 Portal.
  • eSanjeevani Tele-Consultation Platform.
  • COVID Helpline-1075.
  • Cloud Telephony and Call Centres.
  • Establishing Integrated Control & Command Centre (ICCC) Platform.
  • To create Pediatric Units at all 736 district hospitals.
  • Strengthening COWIN platform & National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) .
  • Expand ICU bed capacity.
  • Add beds in peripheral public health facilities.
  • Augment the existing fleet of ambulances.
  • Engage UG & PG Medical Interns, final year MBBS, BSc and GNM nursing students.
  • Create buffer stock for essential medicines.
  • Install liquid medical oxygen tank and a medical gas pipeline system.
  • Ensure availability of Drugs and Diagnostics.
Additional Support for
  • IT interventions including expanding access to Tele-Consultation in all Districts.
  • Control rooms and helplines at State and District level to inform about bed availability, ambulances, testing status, vaccination centres, etc.

UHC Lessons from Asia Pacific

  • Home to 60% world՚s population.
  • 263 million poor live in this region on $ 1.90 per day and another 1.1 billion live on $ 3.20 per day.
  • The region contributes to 41% of Under-5 deaths, 44% maternal deaths, 56% newborn deaths, 60% stunting and 23rd of Low-Birth Weight Babies.
  • Asia-Pacific is rapidly urbanizing with the highest migrant population.
  • This region is characterized by low spending in public health.

Catch the Rain

  • Seeks to substitute the use of available groundwater with rainwater by employing rainwater harvesting techniques across the country.
  • Cath The Rain with the tagline “Catch the rain, where it falls, when it falls” is to nudge the states and stakeholders to create appropriate Rainwater Harvesting Structures (RWHS) suitable to the climatic conditions and sub-soil strata before monsoon 2021.
  • To make check dams, water harvesting pits and rooftop RWHS, etc.
  • Also seeks to repair step-wells and uses defunct bore-wells and unused wells to put water back to aquifers.
  • While the government is spreadheading the rainwater harvesting campaign and will be an administrative head throughout for the campaign to be as efficacious as the country needs it to be.
  • It is imperative for all stakeholders to proactively pool resources and efforts in synergy with the government.
  • There are fundamentally three stakeholders namely government, people and institutions who must take up differing accountabilities in the campaign.
  • The campaign՚s benefits to agriculture are immense.
  • It promises to provide a sustainable flow of water for generations to come and replenish lost soil moisture.
  • It opens the way for water surplus and high monsoon receiving states to share water with water-scarce and low monsoon receiving states, thereby reducing the stark inter-state disparities between agricultural output and farmer՚s incomes.
  • The per capita water storage capacity in India is about 209m3 which is meager compared to per capita storage capacities in countries like Australia 3223m3) , The USA (2193m3, and Brazil (2632m3).

UN “Summary Progress Update 2021: SDG 6- Water and Sanitation for All”

  • The level of water stress in India is as high as 66% with the trend showing an increase over the years.
  • Indian is home to 17% of the world population but has only 4% of the world՚s freshwater resources.

Tamil Nadu, Coimbatore District Case Study

  • Overexploited its groundwater resources in developmental activities in 213-gram panchayats out of 228.
  • The groundwater levels in the remaining 15 also reached semi-critical levels.
  • The average rainfall in the district declined from 690 mm to 616 mm putting water resources in the region under extreme stress.
  • The district administration and gram panchayats decided to start harvesting rainwater through earthen bunds to bring the region out of its peril.
  • The groundwater table in the Coimbatore district has risen considerably with the groundwater levels recorded at depths of 29.76 m, 22.31 m, and 17.62 m during the years 2017,2018, and 2019, respectively.
  • Approximately 6,764 crore Iitres (2.4 TMC) of water is harvested every year extremely significant in recharging the aquifers.

Examrace Team at May 9, 2022