India to Achieve SDG Target in Maternal Mortality by 2022: JP Nadda

Union Health Minister J. P. Nadda said that by 2022, India will achieve its Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target in maternal mortality.

India is set to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target in maternal mortality by 2022, said Union Health Minister J. P. Nadda.

The government's Ayushman Bharat, which is popularly known as Modicare, aims at changing the face of the country.

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‘India's vision of universal health coverage is based on primary care linked to robust secondary and tertiary care.’

"India has met the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target for maternal mortality ratio (MMR) of 139 per lakh (100,000) live births by achieving 130 by 2015. At this rate, we shall achieve SDG target of 70 by 2022, ahead of target timeline of 2030," Nadda said as he highlighted the achievements of his ministry in the last four years.

He said annual maternal deaths have fallen from 44,000 in 2012 to 32,000 in 2015, a reduction of 12,000, which is saving of 30 mothers per day. The country reduced its MMR by 37 points from 167 in 2011-2013 to 130 in 2014-16 due to strategic changes including focus on life cycle approach and multi-sectoral approach, he said.

Nadda said India's vision of universal health coverage is based on assured range of comprehensive primary care, linked to robust secondary and tertiary care being translated through Ayushman Bharat.

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"Modicare is the world's largest healthcare programme. Its objective is not political. It is for changing the face of the country. Obamacare may be something else but Modicare is about the need to change the face of the country. We will solve all problems that will come our way," he said.

Ayushman Bharat programme has two components - the PMRSSM promising medical cover of Rs 5 lakh per family per year for 10 crore poor and vulnerable families, which is about 50 crore individuals or 40 per cent of the country's population. The second component, Prime Minister Health and Wellness Centres (PMHWC), aims to convert 1.5 lakh primary health centres and sub-centres to Health and Wellness Centres.

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"This will change the healthcare landscape in the country. We are moving as per the set timelines for implementing Ayushman Bharat. We shall be signing MoUs with 14 states on June 14. Under PMHWC, approval for transformation has been given to 19,000 this year.

"By second-third week of July, we will be ready with the IT platform. Identification of beneficiaries in rural areas is done 80 percent. We want to provide a glitch-free system from the start. So, once the IT testing is done, the Prime Minister will launch the programme," he said.

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Nadda further said that the government has given total flexibility to the states to choose their health system and how it suits them the best and further government is ready to provide the financial support also.

"Under free Drugs and Diagnostics Service Initiative medicine worth Rs 14,000 crore have been disbursed in last two and a half years. Under Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis program, more than 2.38 lakh patients have been benefited. Amrit outlets provide drugs for cancer and cardiovascular diseases at 60-90 per cent discount. These outlets have helped patients save Rs 346.59 crore so far," he said.

Further, the minister said work has begun on the new AIIMS at Mangalagiri (Andhra Pradesh), Nagpur, Kalyani (West Bengal), Gorakhpur (Uttar Pradesh), Bathinda (Punjab), Guwahati and Bilaspur (Himachal Pradesh).

Source-IANS