The Centre is planning to create National Public Health Board to streamline the entire healthcare delivery and allied systems in order to formulate a national policy on health, besides lay down and monitoring the standards in the sector.
The board, which will also have state units besides ensuring a national health policy revision every five years and that the plans and policies for health and the public expenditure. It will also formulate, negotiate and adopt review strategies for all national health programmes every five years, in light of changing scientific knowledge and the experience of implementation of the policies and programmes.
Laying down minimum standards for food, water, sanitation and housing, for every person's health and well being and formulating and implementing national strategies and plans of action for these determinants of health, laying down and reviewing every five years, minimum standards, protocols, norms and guidelines for public as well as private (for profit as well as not for profit) health care providers and establishments will also be among the functions of the board.
It will seek to ensure access to health care services including equitable coverage norms and minimum service guarantees by the public health system and pricing of health care services, drugs, and related technologies, sources said. Regulation of public and private clinical establishments and other health service providers regarding the other related matters, regulation of clinical research and field trials, and health technology assessment, regulation of health impact assessment, and regulation of healthcare insurance companies will also be under the Board, being set up under the proposed National Health Bill.
"Establishing a national level health service regulatory body to ensure compliance with the aforementioned standards, protocols, norms and guidelines, and lay down the rules/ regulations for its functioning; laying down and reviewing every 5 years, regulations, standards and protocols for prevention and control of communicable diseases or vectors affecting humans; registration of births and deaths and other vital statistics for health; food safety; access to safe drugs; labour safety and welfare, including maternity benefits; port quarantine, seamen's and marine hospitals; social security and employment; population stabilization and family planning; health related social and economic planning," will be among the functions.
Health secretary will be the chairman of the board and DGHS will be the co-chairman. Secretaries or their nominees, from Ministries pertaining to women and child development, rural and urban development, social justice and empowerment, environment, industry, food and agriculture, Panchayati Raj, finance, information & broadcasting or any other pertinent area, nominee of Planning Commission, five representatives from National Directorate of Health Services, five representatives from the State Governments, and five representatives of recognized professional associations and statutory councils relating to health at national level will be among the members of the board. It will also have five experts, and five representatives from NGOs.