Lancet Lauds Indian Prime Minister’s Healthcare Initiatives

Lancet, one of the world’s best known medical journals has time and again played a key role in reframing people’s political views concerning medical services. In the year August 2014, the journal published “An Open Letter for the People of Gaza,” criticizing Israel in the wake of the 2014 Gaza conflict. Sir Mark Pepys, ex-Head of Medicine at University College London stated that Richard Horton’s (editor in chief of the journal) behaviour in this case is consistent with his longstanding and completely inappropriate use of The Lancet as a weapon for his own extreme political views. To this Horton stated that both politics and medicine are inter related and inter dependent. Another comment that the journal came up was published on September 11, 2018.

This time Horton wrote about none other than the most popular and beloved Prime Minister of India. He published a stump speech for PM of India ahead of 2019, saying that the current PM of India is the first prime minister of India to have prioritised universal health coverage as part of his political platform under the 'Ayushman Bharat' programme. The journal focusses upon the importance of medical facilities and government initiatives in that regard. The Ayushman Bharat Programme, a National Health Protection Mission (AB-NHPM) is expected to launch by September 25, 2018. The Ayushman Bharat – National Health Protection Mission (AB-NHPM) aims to provide financial protection (Swasthya Suraksha) to 10.74 crore poor, deprived rural families and identified occupational categories of urban workers’ families as per the latest Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) data (approx. 50 crore beneficiaries). Its object is also to provide a benefit cover of Rs.5,00,000 per family per year (on a family floater basis). This may prove useful for the nation as this shall ensure that focus on medical facilities shall definitely become a part of the agenda of the next general elections. If that happens in reality then it will surely ensure a better India with respect to healthcare facilities. But, nothing can be said until the launch and the success of this programme is established.

By: Anuja Arora

Content: https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/trends/health-trends/podcast-editors-pick-of-the-day-medical-journal-lancet-lauds-pm-modis-ayushman-bharat-programme-2951611.html