The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Healthcare: move to increase public participation

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Tuesday, Sep 08, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Healthcare: move to increase public participation

Special Correspondent

‘Taking the Pulse’ programme will be launched today in New Delhi

CHENNAI: Taking the Pulse of India’s Health, an innovative year-long programme to increase the participation of Indians as stakeholders in the country’s health and well being, will be launched on Tuesday in New Delhi.

‘Taking the Pulse’ intends to mobilise a very broad base of civil society towards greater participation in health issues, towards advancing democracy in health, and eventually, develop a national consensus on health rights and responsibilities. This is an initiative of the World Care Council, India Business Alliance, The-Hindu, Public Health Foundation of India and other partners in common cause.

The rationale behind the campaign is that wide participation of the population is required to contribute to a vision of the future health of Indians. Their concerns, hopes and aspirations of today are integral to making it a reality tomorrow. As India is undergoing substantial growth and development in many sectors, there are some beneficial impacts on the lives of the people, with predictions for more benefits for more people in the future.

It is widely accepted that as many Indians as possible should participate in this process and share the benefits in the long term. It is towards increasing stake-holding in this that the campaign has been initiated through a national multi-media consultation during 2009 and 2010.

While the event will be formally flagged off on Tuesday at the office of the Public Health Foundation of India, in New Delhi, ‘Taking the Pulse’ will emerge as a series of mass public consultations through the print and electronic media beginning September 9 and continue, building momentum over the months, to the publication of a survey in December.

Media’s role

The views and opinions of a broad cross section of society will be solicited through the media. It combines focused journalism to raise awareness of issues and highlight the views of key players, full-page questionnaires or surveys that readers are expected to fill in and return.

The survey will be used as reference for the drafting of the Citizens’ Charter for Health Care during the first six months of 2010. The charter, which will be a synthesis of the inputs received through the survey, will be presented to the government’s Parliamentary Committee on Health in 2010, and launched on October 10, 2010.

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