[Marxistindia] highlights of the pamphlet on health

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AAM ADMI SUFFERS IN 'HIGH-GROWTH' INDIA

HEALTH SECTOR: TRAIL OF BROKEN PROMISES
Pamphlet released today by Nilotpal Basu, Member, Central Secretariat

The slogan of Health for All, continues to be a mirage in India.
Contrary to what was promised, the Congress-led government brazenly trod
the path of neoliberal reforms and continued the trends that were set in
motion in 1991. Today in India the health profile of our people has
deteriorated.

NRHM:The early conception of the NRHM emphasized population control, and
a few targeted interventions on child health. The CPI(M) championed the
cause of a comprehensive and universal public health programme. The
sustained pressure led to a reconceptualisation of the NRHM, with
introduction of measures to strengthen public health infrastructure.
However the NRHM continues to be plagued by problems of grossly
inadequate funding and of measurers that promote privatization under the
garb of "Public Private Partnerships" and introduction of "user fees".
The NRHM had envisaged expenditure of Rs. 55,000 crore per year by 2012
but for past 2-3 years it has stagnated at about Rs. 10,000-12,000 crore
per year. ASHA, the community health worker in the scheme, receives an
average allowance of 600 rupees. This is unjust and unsustainable.

Plummeting Financial Support To Public Health: The overall public
expenditure on health has stagnated at 0.9 per cent of GDP, among the
lowest in the world and ahead of only five countries—Burundi, Myanmar,
Pakistan, Sudan, and Cambodia. This belies the CMP commitment that: "The
UPA Government will raise public spending on health to at least 2-3 per
cent of the GDP over the next five years, with focus on primary
healthcare."

Immunization of Children: There has been very little improvement in
coverage of children by vaccination in the last five years under the
Universal Immunization Programme. 56 per cent of our children still do
not receive all the vaccines listed in the national programme. The
decision to close four vaccine producing units in the public sector, led
to rampant shortages of vaccines and rising costs. Under pressure from
the CPI(M), the Government gave an assurance that it would reverse this
decision.

full text is available at:

http://vote.cpim.org/sites/default/files/Health.pdf
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