New Delhi: The health ministry dedicated a fixed day every month for free antenatal care, launched a new drug to combat multi-drug resistant tuberculosis, and deployed
apps for blood banking, tobacco control, and dengue prevention among its initiatives during 2016.
The year also saw conduct of a single and uniform entrance examination for admissions to virtually all government and private medical colleges, after the Supreme
Court in April directed that NEET (Under Graduate) will come into effect immediately.
The ministry also launched for the first time a rotavirus vaccine to reduce childhood diarrhoea, extended Japanese encephalitis immunisation to adults in high-burden districts of Assam, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal, and pledged a nationwide dialysis programme for patients with kidney failure.
It released Rs 445 crore to 17 states to support the establishment of new medical colleges linked to district hospitals and released Rs 110 crore to upgrade 22 government medical colleges in eight states. The basket of choices in family planning was expanded as the ministry introduced three new methods in the National Family Planning program - Injectable Contraceptive DMPA (Antara) a 3-monthly injection, Centchroman pill (Chhaya) a non-hormonal once a week pill and progesterone-only pills
(POP) for lactating mothers.
The Ministry also launched its largest study on older population of the country, Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI). The International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai in collaboration with Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and University of Southern California (USC) is undertaking the study.
The Supreme Court in April and May directed that NEET (UG) shall come into effect immediately. The National Eligibility cum Entrance test, NEET-UG for admissions to all
medical and dental colleges in the country will be conducted in 6 regional languages besides Hindi and English next year. A direction to this effect was sent to CBSE on December 8 and preparations have already begun for holding the exam. NEET-UG was organised by CBSE in 2016.
The CBSE is making extensive preparations to conduct the examination in 2017 on the basis of parameters which have already been conveyed to them. Meanwhile the Ministry's Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA), aimed at reducing maternal and infant mortality rates through safe pregnancies and safe deliveries, will provide special free antenatal care to about 3 crore pregnant women across the country in order to detect and prevent high risk pregnancies.
The nationwide programme provides fixed day "assured, comprehensive and quality" antenatal care to pregnant women on the ninth day of every month. On the other hand, in order to prevent the morbidity and mortality in children due to rotavirus, Rotavirus vaccine was introduced in Universal Immunisation Programme in four states initially - Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh in April as recommended by the Expert Committee.
At the same time, Japanese Encephalitis vaccination was extended to adult population in districts with high disease burden. Recently, 21 high-burden districts from Assam, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal were identified for adult JE vaccination. Adult JE vaccination campaign activity has been completed in 3 districts of Assam (Darrang, Nagaon and Sonitpur) and selected blocks of 3 districts (Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri,
Alipurduar) of West Bengal and campaign is ongoing in selected blocks of 6 districts of Uttar Pradesh.
The ministry's ambitious immunisation programme, Mission Indradhanush, saw the continuation of its second phase in January in 352 districts while the phase III was implemented from April to July in 216 districts. The ministry said in all the three phases, (as on August 1) 2.08 crore children have been vaccinated of which 54.5 lakh children have been fully immunised. In addition, 55.4 lakh pregnant women were vaccinated against tetanus toxoid.
Referring to the Integrated Child Health and Immunisation Survey 2016, the Ministry said full immunisation coverage increased by about 5-7 per cent after the launch of Mission Indradhanush. Under the government's ambitious Pradhan Mantri National
Dialysis Programme, support has been provided to all states for provision of free dialysis services for poor. The ministry said all states have been requested to
incorporate proposals for rollout of National Dialysis Programme in Programme Implementation Plans (PIPs) for 2016-17 while approval has been accorded to all states forimplementing the Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Programme.
The Ministry also introduced at six identified tertiary care centres across India the Bedaquiline as part of the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program ( RNTCP) which is a new anti-TB drug for treatment of MDR-TB. Bedaquiline will be given to multi-drug resistant TB patients with resistance to either all fluoroquinolone and all
second line injectables and extensive drug resistant TB. The ministry also launched a host of information technology initiatives which includes Swasth Bharat Mobile application to empower citizens to find reliable and relevant health information regarding healthy lifestyle, disease conditions, symptoms, treatment options, first aid and public
health alerts.
Other such initiatives include ANM Online application (ANMOL), a tablet-based application that allows ANMs to enter and updated data for beneficiaries of their jurisdiction, E-RaktKosh which is an integrated Blood Bank Management Information System that has been conceptualised and developed after multiple consultations with all stakeholders.
The ministry also launched M-Cessation which aims at reaching out to those willing to quit tobacco use and support them towards successful quitting through text messages sent via mobile phones among other applications aimed at preventing various diseases like diabetes. India also received certificates from World Health Organisation recognising the elimination of Yaws and Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus from the country.
