Govt to consolidate National Rural Health Mission programme

Government said on Thursday it would consolidate its flagship National Rural Health Mission programme and revive vaccine producing units in the public sector to support the immunisation programme.

In her address to the joint sitting of Parliament, President Pratibha noted that the mission has begun to strengthen rural public health infrastructure.

"The mission would be consolidated to make perceptible reduction in infant mortality and maternal mortality in the next five years," she said.

The President also said that the vaccine producing institutes in the public sector will be revived to support the immunisation programme.

"My government will expand the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana to cover all families below the poverty line in the next five years," she said.

Singling out malnutrition as a major health challenge needing urgent response, she said the nutrition delivery programme will be comprehensively revamped to bring it under the watch of panchayat institutions and make provision for hot cooked meals in anganwadis.

Patil promised a National Council for Human Resources in Health as an overarching regulatory body for the health sector to reform the current regulatory framework and enhance supply of skilled personnel.