National Health Assurance Mission (NHAM)

Why in news?
Mr. Nadda' interview by Indian Express.

National Health Assurance Mission:


Major components:

1. Preventive and promotive healthcare
2. Free drugs - promised more than 50 free drugs and around 30 alternative medicines such as ayurveda, homeopathy, etc., at government hospitals.
3. Free diagnostics - a dozen
4. Admission in govt hospitals / referral to pvt - primary, secondary
5. Tertiary care - to some extent
6. Universal Health Insurance cover to all - linked with the Rashtiya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY)
1. Free of cost to BPL
2. Low cost to the rest
1. Govt will pay the full premium amt for the poor and part - for the better off - on the basis of expenses determined on the basis of trust

More points:

• Expected to cover the entire population by 2019
• The health assurance programme means provision of good health facilities, preventive and promotive, by the state governments. 
• And the Union government should see to it that the gaps left are taken care of. 
• So as far as the mother, child, reproductive health care is concerned, that has been taken care of. 
• Everything is given free and we are now developing a life cycle approach.
• There was also some confusion that health assurance is health insurance. 
• It’s not that. 
• Health assurance means ensuring that a person gets good health facilities. 
• To take care of the gaps, there are ways:
• One is that we increase our expenditure, and see that it is taken care of. 
• Other way is that on case-to-case basis we can give them relief. 
• The third way of doing this is that, whatever gaps we can’t fill, are substituted with insurance.

Analysis:

• While providing free essential drugs and diagnostics is a start, it cannot happen in isolation. You need infrastructure, manpower and resources to support delivery, and clear targets and data for course correction.
• If implemented efficiently, it has the potential change people’s lives. 

[Source: Indian Express, Hindustan Times]