Essay, Paragraph or Speech on “Maintaining the Health of the Nation is the Responsibility of the State” Complete Essay, Speech for Class 10, Class 12 and Graduation and other classes.

Maintaining the Health of the Nation is the Responsibility of the State

Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare plays a vital role in the national efforts to help citizens lead a healthy and happy life. The Ministry is responsible for implementing programmes of national importance like family welfare, primary health care services, prevention and control of diseases, etc. which form the main plank of our development efforts. Also, our national commitment was to attain the goal of “Health for All by the Year 2000 AD” in accordance with the Alma-Ate Declaration of September 1978.

Hospitals and Dispensaries: Health is a state subject, however, medical services are provided by the Central government as well. Certain charitable voluntary and private institutions also provide medical relief. The district and sub-divisional hospitals are being further developed to address the deficiencies in medical services. The budgetary allocation on health is consistently on rise which reflects government’s concern for public health. In fact, hospitals and dispensaries are being opened even in remote areas of the country through which government tries to ensure the availability of good health care facilities in backward areas also.

Primary Health Centres: Primary health care is being provided to rural population in the country through a wide network of health centres, sub-centres and community health centres which are well equipped to carry on the mission of government of “Health for All”. Primary health care is the first contact point between village community and medical officer which were envisaged to provide an integrated curative and preventive health care centre to the rural population with focus on preventive arid promotive aspect of health care. Besides, a large number of rural dispensaries are working under State governments/Union Territory administrations. Budgetary allocations are being increased to ensure the access to health care facilities of the people of remotely backward areas of the country.

The Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) was introduced on 1 July. 1994 as the “contributory health scheme” in Delhi with a view to providing comprehensive medical care facilities to the Central Government employees and the members of their families and to do away with cumbersome and expensive system of reimbursement of medical expenses. Later the scheme was extended to other cities such as Mumbai, Kolkata, Patna, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Pune, Nagpur, Ahmadabad. Jaipur, Kanpur, Allahbad, Meerut and Lucknow. The peripheral towns of Gurgaon, Faridabad and Ghaziabed have also been covered under the CGHS. Delhi.

Besides Central Government employees, the other sectors of population now availing CGHS facilities include employees of certain autonomous organisations, retired Central Government servants, widows of Central Government employees in receipt of family pension, MPs and ex-MPs, ex-governors, ex-vice-presidents retired judges of Superme Court and High Courts, freedom fighters and members of the general public (in 14 specified areas in Delhi). Since November. 1984, the Central Government pensioners have been made eligible for reimbursement of cost of hospitalisation and specialised treatment including cost of artificial appliances.

To  increase the number of service institutions as well as to offer better service to CGHS beneficiaries all government hospitals such as Army, Railways, ESI and State government’ municipal hospitals have been recognised under CGHS with effect from 8 May, 1986. Now the Central Government pensioners are able to avail of the CGHS facilities from their nearest dispensary irrespective of the fact as to whether they are residing within the jurisdiction of the scheme or not.

In order to expedite disposal of reimbursement of medical expenses claims, powers to reimburse the cost of artificial appliances have been delegated to the administrative ministries/ departments. The outstation pensioners have been allowed to obtain medicines from the approved chemists/super bazaars through authority slip issued by the concerned deputy-director for a period specified by the specialist at a time.

Indian Systems of Medicine: Indian systems of medicine (ISM) include Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, Amchi, Tiisetan, Naturopathy and Yoga. Government of India is committed to promote these systems along with homeopathy as part of our total health programme. Steps initiated in this regard are: improvement in quality of education, promotion of research-based study primarily on the principles and philosophy of each of the system development of medicinal plants, laying of pharmacopoeial standards, and providing drug testing facilities, etc.

The National Health Policy assigns an important role to the Indian systems of medicine/homeopathy in the delivery of primary health care and envisages their eventual integration in the overall health care delivery systems in the context of our national target of “Health for All” by 2000 AD. Homeopathy owes its origin to the German Physician Dr. C.F.S. Hahneman. Practioners of Indian systems of medicine practicing in rural and urban areas enjoy high local acceptance and respect. After Independence, institutions parallel in those existing in allopathy were formed in order to develop these systems.

Pharmacopoeial Standards and Drug Testing Facilities: Four pharmacopoeial committees are working for preparing official formulations/pharmacopooias to maintain uniform standards in preparation of drugs and prescribe working standards for compound formulations including tests for indentifying purity and quality of drugs.

They are:

• Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia Committee:
• Unani Pharmacopoeia Committee;
• Siddha Pharmacopoeia Committee and
• Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia Committee.

Pharmacopbeia Laboratory for Indian Medicine: Ghaziabad was established in 1970 as a standard-setting-cum-drug-testing laboratory for Indian medicines including Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha systems at the national level. The laboratory has preserved more than 2000 standard specimens of crude drugs. During the year it has worked out standards of 15 single drugs and 20 compound formulations for consideration by the Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia Committee. The laboratory also imparts training to drug analysts.

Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia Laboratory: Ghaziabad is a high technology based standard and setting-cum-drug-testing laboratory for homeopathic medicines. Homeopathic medicines are covered under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. During the year the laboratory completed fixation of standards for 42 basic drugs and 19 finished products. It has also completed drug testing of 199 survey samples. It also maintains a medicinal plants garden and a seed germ plasm bank of rare and exotic plants. Besides Central Council of Indian Medicines (CCIM) and Central Council of Homeopathy to lay down and maintain uniform standards of education and regulate the professional practice of the practitioners in the field of ISM and homeopathy respectively.

Research: Four research councils, namely

• Central Council for Research in Ayurveda and Siddha (CCRAS),
• Central Council for Research in Unani Medicines (CCRUM),
• Central Council for Research in Homeopathy (CCRH) and
• Centre! Councils of Research in Yoga and Naturopathy (CCRYN) have been established to initiate, aid, guide, develop and coordinate scientific research in different aspects of the respective systems, both fundamental and applied. These Councils are the apex bodies in the field of research in the concerned system of medicine and fully financed by Government.

Rashtriya Ayurveda Vidyapeeth: The Rashtriya Ayurveda Vidyapeeth, New Delhi an autonomous body, was registered on 11 February, 1988 as a Society under the Society Registration Act, 1916. The main objective of this Vidyapeeth is to promote knowledge of Ayurveda to persons possessing postgraduate qualification in Ayurveda or graduate with three years’ teaching/research/professional experience on traditional lines as continuing education.

National Institutes: National Institute of Ayurveda, Jaipur was established to promote all aspects of Ayurvedic system of medicine. The Institute has two hospitals with IPD and OPD facilities. National Institute of Homeopathy, Kolkata was set up in 1975 to promote the growth and development of homeopathy. Presently, the Institute conducts two courses. viz. (i) Bachelor of Homeopathy Medicine and Surgery (BHMS), a five-years course affiliated to Kolkata University and (ii) Post Diploma Course in Homeopathy of two years duration. It maintains a hospital too.

National Institute of Unani Medicine was established in 1987 at Bangalore. It is an autonomous body of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare working in collaboration with the Government of Karnataka. National Institute of Naturopathy, Pune was registered under the Registration Act, 1860 with the object of promotion of Naturopathy as a system of medicine and encourage research in all fields of nature cure.

Medicinal Plants Cell: The Ministry has established the Medicinal Plants Cell to look into various aspects related to development of medicinal plants specifically used in drugs of ISM and homeopathy in consultation with other concerned departments/organisations. It has identified 45 species of medicinal plants which require specific steps for their development on priority basis.

Indian Medicines Pharmaceutical Corporation: This is a public sector undertaking of the Ministry located at Mohan near Almora, Uttarakhand. It was incorporated in July, 1987 and started its commercial productions in June. 1983. The Corporation is engaged in manufacture and supply of pure genuine and authentic Ayurvedic and Unani Medicines.

Drugs: The Drugs and Cosmetics Act. 1940, as amended from time to time, regulates import, manufacture, sale and distribution of drugs and cosmetics in the country. Under the Act, import, manufacture and sale of substandard spurious, adulterated or misbranded drugs are prohibited. Government is empowered to check the quality of imported drugs, coordinate the activities of the States, lay down regulatory measures and standards of drugs and grant approval for the import or manufacture of new drugs. The control over, the quality of drugs which are manufactured, sold and distributed in the country, is exercised by State governments. Zonal offices of the Central Drugs, Standards, Control Organisation (CDSCO) at Mumbai, Kolkata, Ghaziabad, and Chennai maintain close liaison with State organisations for enforcement of the provisions of this Act. The CDSCO also arranges training programme for the personnel concerned with drugs standard control.

Central Drugs Laboratory. Kolkata, functions as the testing laboratory for imported drugs and analytical quality control of drugs manufactured within the country on behalf of the Centre and State drugs control authorities. It is the appellate laboratory under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act to test samples of drugs sent to it by courts. The Central Indian Pharmacopoeia, Laboratory, Ghaziabad tests sample of non-biological drugs included in the Indian Pharmacopoeia.

 Vaccine Production: India is self-sufficient in the production of all vaccines including the one for protection against measles required for immunization programme except polio. The polio vaccine is imported in bulk in a concentrated form. It is diluted and ampouled at the Haffkine Bio-Pharmaceutical Corporation Limited, Mumbai.

Objectionable Advertisement: The Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisement) Act, 1955, prohibits the publication of objectionable advertisements relating to sexual stimulants, alleged magic cures for venereal disease and diseases peculiar to women. The Act as amended in 1963 also prohibits import and export of objectionable advertisement and authorises the customs and postal authorities to intercept articles suspected to contain such advertisements.