India for universal health cover at Geneva assembly

All citizens have a right to basic health services and the state should guarantee universal health cover in a flexible and adaptable framework, India said at the 65th World Health Assembly here in Geneva, Switzerland. “Every citizen is entitled to essential health care services and these should be guaranteed by the state. Sidering the regional and socio -cultural diversities, health cover for a large country like India requires a flexible and adaptable framework and substantial devolution of powers,” India’s Press Information Bureau (PIB) said quoting the Secretary Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Speaking on behalf of India’s Federal Minister of Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad, Secretary P K Pradhan said at the Geneva plenary, “The challenges of rapid urbanization and of demographic, epidemiological and nutritional transitions also need to be taken into account.” He said, achieving and sustaining Universal Health Coverage without effectively addressing the social determinants of health would be difficult. He also highlighted the steps taken by India to meet health related Millennium Development Goals and added that health has been identified as the key thrust area in India’s 12th Five Year Plan. The World Health Assembly (WHA) provides an opportunity not only to share with the world community progress vis-a-vis the world public health agenda by Member States but also gives a platform to reiterate and reaffirm commitments by Member states to those goals. India has been on the Executive Board of the WHA since 2009, the PIB report said. (QNA)