Month: April 2013

Healthcare policies for a political party


On 5th April, 2013,  was invited to lead the discussions on a healthcare policy meeting of a fast emerging political party

The following discussion points i put forth for the kind consideration of the committee ;

Three key components for reform:

Systems

Service

Staff

Key challenges :

longevity of life

Expenses as budgetary allocation

Timely and quality interventions

Preventive promotive and curative health care

Child health

Chronic diseases

Rural health

Technological interventions

Role of pharmacists and nurses

Private community  partnership-sector

Outcomes with patient satisfaction

Health is not a standalone topic

Four pillars of public health . Hygiene , water , sanitation and nutrition

Protocols & treatment guidelines

Soft skills

Tax on unhealthy products and foods

Challenge is huge country , diverse population , demographics and poor infrastructure .

Why doctors don’t go to rural india ? Poor infrastructure for families and staying locally  coupled with no infrastructure for operations in rural

Several solutions few execution is the problem

Following inputs were given in the format the party needed ( Point wise );

Primary care :

1. Rural healthcare centres be accessible 24 X 7 using technology – Health Helplines

2. Mobile applications on phones connected to ASHA workers etc

3. Clinic on Ambulance model

4. 75 % of the funding of healthcare should go to Primary care

Refer the article on primary care

Child Health 

1. Incorporate health in school curriculum from class IV onwards

2. Pictorial charts and audio-visual films to teach hygiene and health

3. Health parameters be reported in annual and six monthly report cards

4. Junk foods be banned in and around school premises

5. Calorific and nutritional value be written on every packaged food items in relation to RDCA

6. 3 % of the curriculum marks be allocated to health of the student

7. Health & Hygiene be included in school curriculum as an exam based paper from class 4th onwards

Health IT 

1. All programs must be backed by an IT backbone

2. Mobile health record ( PHR ) as an alternative to electronic health record be linked to Aadhaar card

3. Reporting , surveillance and monitoring all programs through live data reporting at the taluka, district and national level

4. Standards and protocols for  all the treatments be issued , so that the AAM AADMI is not fleeced by unscrupulous people in the name of healthcare / treatment

5. All village sub centres be connected via telemedicine and mobile healthcare

6. At least 2 % of the healthcare budgets be spent on Healthcare IT

Chronic diseases 

1. Mass screenings be made available through pharmacies across the nation for diabetes , hypertension & obesity

2. Disease Management Programs be launched for all chronic diseases

3. mobile health be used for chronic disease management

4. Those with habits of smoking and drinking should have a higher co-pay to seek universal healthcare benefits ,  so that the healthy should not subsidise the ‘irresponsible’ sick people

5. Companies spending on wellness should be given incentives

Public health :

1. Focus on healths should be centred on wellness and not just on treatment

2. 75 % of the health budget should be spent on prevention and promotion

3. Corporate and five-star hospitals in urban india / metros should be taxed (levied  5% surcharge )  to subsidise the healthcare delivery in rural India

4. Set up the epidemiological data

We should change the slogan from ‘Health for all’ to ‘All for Health’

Is it divestment or a buy back through a family controlled firm


On 8th February , 2013, i wrote about the ‘Oxytocin’ injections that the Government is giving to our economy to draw out milk…….here is the proof.

Life Insurance Corporation was the most dependable automated teller machine for the government in the past year, buying record amounts of bonds and stocks of public-sector firms. Which was shown as ‘successful divestment by the Government’.

The state-run insurer’s purchase of government bonds rose 20%, and it bought nearly 40% of the shares sold via offer for sale (OFS) in four out of total seven PSUissues, said people familiar with the investments.

Of the Rs 4.67 lakh crore raised by the government through securities, LIC provided over Rs 1.10 lakh crore, or 21.4% of the total figure.

LIC invested Rs 236 crore in Nalco (35% of the OFS size), Rs 142 crore in RCF (45%), Rs 608 crore in Hindustan CopperBSE 0.87 % (44%), Rs 923 crore in NTPCBSE -0.35 % (5%), Rs 1,069 crore in SAIL (71%) and Rs 282 crore in NMDCBSE 2.50 % (4.7%).

LIC had contributed 81% to the government’s Rs 14,000-crore mop-up from share sales in 2011-12 by investing Rs 11,400 crore in ONGC

LIC invests in government securities with a view to holding them till maturity, and mark-to-market losses in the interim are not good. It would be a good practice to evaluate returns on redemption each time it happens and compare it with benchmark government bond rates. “Any shortfall in the return should be compensated by the government,”

Also, LICs mandate to invest 50 % in Government securities should be re-looked .

So the big question is , was this really divestment or a ‘back door buyout’ & a ‘face saver’ from a state controlled financier with public money, which could have yielded better returns had the LIC invested into blue chip companies  . We all know that the state run PSUs will perform poorly when compared to other blue chip firms . Does it not warrant a CAG inquiry into the management ( mismanagement ) of LICs investments under duress ( from Chidambaram ) ?

LIC is failing in its fiduciary responsibilities to its investors ( people of this country who buy insurance policies from LIC ) , who invest Rs. 450 crore a day in LIC . Time to raise this issue and realise , that the actual divestment figure shown by the Government was a back door forced buyback by a family firm ( Government’s family firm- LIC )

Rajendra Pratap Gupta

http://www.commonmansblog.com

Source : http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/finance/lic-turns-out-to-be-the-governments-atm-buys-record-amount-of-bonds-and-psu-stocks/articleshow/19313481.cms