Experts want the health ministry to re-draft the new healthcare policy again, as it fails to meet not only the expectations of the stakeholders, but also the healthcare needs of the country, an issue that needs urgent attention. It is understood that the policy in its current form contains lot of contradictory statements that are far deluded from facts.

Earlier this month, the Centre had released the draft national healthcare policy 2015, a highly anticipated and expectation laced framework. Far from addressing the healthcare issues, it hardly touched base with any progressive measures as covered and promised in the manifesto.

A highly placed senior official from the ministry said that ironically, the healthcare policy was not even written by a healthcare expert but by an outsider having limited knowledge of the same. Expressing concern over the failed attempt of the government in putting together a credible policy, the source says, “One look at the policy is enough to show that it is an act of incompetent work done by people with negligible knowledge of the healthcare scenario of the country. Rather than taking the comments of the healthcare providers, this policy was drafted taking into account the wish list and suggestions of the bureaucrats.”

The source further stressed that the 58-page long policy document on many levels lacks clarity on key points that focus on universal access to affordable good quality healthcare services. Neither does it give proper focus on key issues like preventive healthcare initiatives, development of primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare; occupational safety hazards; or vision and roadmap as envisaged in the 12th five-year plan.

Other major setback according to experts had been for the medical device sector which has been looking forward for a greater and prominent role in the country's healthcare system through a strong policy. It is understood that lot of senior ministry officials are not happy with the same and are in the process of going in for re-drafting of the same.