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More doctors, nurses needed: Anbumani

Staff Reporter

Make ban on smoking a success: Anbumani
U.N. plans to launch NRHM type programme in Africa

Mumbai: While the budget allocation for the health sector has gone up from Rs. 42,000 crore in the Tenth Five Year Plan to Rs. 1,40,000 crore in the Eleventh Plan, still there is a huge need for doctors and nurses, Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss said here on Saturday.

Highlighting the vast gap in medical workforce, Dr. Ramadoss said the country had seven lakh doctors, but needed eight lakh more to meet the standards of the World Health Organisation.

“We need 1.5 million more nurses,” he said. Infrastructure building, producing workforce and serving the health needs of the rural areas were the focus areas.

Dr. Ramadoss was speaking after the laying the foundation for an administrative building at J.J. Hospital, Byculla, here.

NRHM, a model

On the National Rural Health Mission, launched three years ago, Dr. Ramadoss said it was one of the biggest public health programmes in the world. The United Nations planned to launch a similar programme in Africa.

Within two years of its launch, the number of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) had gone up to 6,24,000. Tamil Nadu, which fared well in healthcare, had been conducting Caesarean section in its primary health centres. In Bihar, the monthly patient attendance had risen from 40 to 4,000.

Dr. Ramadoss reiterated his plans for a National Urban Health Mission to meet the healthcare needs of the urban poor. He spoke of insurance schemes for slum dwellers.

In the context of the recent ban on smoking in public places, Dr. Ramadoss urged the common people to take the initiative in making the movement a success.

He said an alarming number of youth were in the grip of tobacco, drugs, alcohol and junk food. Referring to surveys, he said that up to 14.1 per cent of children used tobacco and the age of initiation into alcohol consumption had fallen from 28 to 13 years and six months. The consumption of Pepsi, Coke, pizzas and burgers was leading to obesity among children and other health problems. “India needs to protect the young population. We have to fight this jointly.”

Dr. Ramadoss announced assistance for Maharashtra’s healthcare sector. The Centre and the State had together given Rs. 120 crore for upgradation of facilities at the J.J. and Cama hospitals. An amount of Rs. 50 crore would be given to Mumbai for a “metro blood bank.” The Minister said there would be one metro blood bank each in Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai.In addition, Rs. 750 crore would be spent on emergency and trauma care programmes in the country.

The trauma centres would be located along national highways.

Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Murli Deora, Higher and Technical Education Minister Dilip Walse Patil and Suresh Shetty, Minister for Medical and Higher and Technical Education, were present. They alleged that the private medical institutes were charging steep capitation fees, in some cases up to Rs. 1 crore.

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