Even as the new government led by the Congress party is assuming power at the Centre with Gulam Nabi Azad at the helms of affairs at the Health Ministry, a long list of Bills awaits the new government's attention.
Top of the list is the new pharmaceutical policy which is pending with a Group of Ministers headed by Sharad Pawar. The Ministry of Chemicals has been working on the new drug policy from 2000 onwards as there were major drawbacks in the drug policy of 1994. Though the GoM had met several times, it is yet to send its final recommendation to Parliament. The industry expects the new government to finalise the policy soon.
Another bill that awaits the new government is the Bill for formation of a Central Drug Authority (CDA) for streamlining the drug control administration in the country. Even though the Union health ministry had finalised the Bill and wanted to rush through the bill during the last Parliament session, it failed to do so due to tremendous pressure exerted by a section of industry who are opposed to the formation of CDA.
Likewise, a bill to govern clinical trials in the country is also waiting for the Parliament nod. Though the Bill, Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical Research on Human Subjects, drafted by ICMR has been lying with the health ministry since 2000, it is yet to find its way to Parliament for its final seal of approval. In the absence of any law, thousands of poor patients and young men are being lured and subjected to unethical practices by the pharma companies as there is no effective law to monitor the activities of CROs and pharma companies.
The HIV/AIDS Bill 2007, seeking to end the discrimination meted out to the HIV patients and ensuring access to right to treatment for them as part of the Constitutional Right to Health, is another bill that awaits the new health minister to introduce it in Parliament for its nod. The bill has been pending with the ministry for almost two years now.
Another bill that is waiting in the wings is the Clinical Establishments Registration and Regulation Bill, 2007 which is being enacted by the government as a comprehensive legislative framework for the registration and regulation of clinical establishments in the country. It is aimed to provide among others minimum standards for facilities and services with a view to standardizing health care services and for achieving improvement of public health.