Some Global Schemes, programmes

NITI Aayog Health Index

States with a record of investment in literacy, nutrition and primary health care have achieved high scores in NITI Aayog’s first Health Index

The Index, with all its limitations given uneven data availability, hopes to make a difference by encouraging a competitive approach for potentially better outcomes

Responsibilities of different tiers of government

Health-care delivery is the responsibility of States; the Centre provides financial and policy support

Being able to meet the Sustainable Development Goals over the coming decade depends crucially on the States’ performance

Both the Centre and the States have the responsibility to scale up their investment on health as a percentage of their budgets

Lack of sufficient data

The Index uses metrics such as institutional deliveries, systematic reporting of tuberculosis, access to drugs for people with HIV/AIDS, immunization levels, and out-of-pocket expenditure

Data on other key aspects such as non-communicable diseases, mental health, governance systems and financial risk protection lack the integrity to form part of a good composite index

Way forward

National Health Protection Schemeannounced in the Union Budget may be able to address some of the financial risk associated with ill-health

But, it will take systematic improvements to preventive and primary care to achieve higher scores in the Index

As the experience from countries in the West and now even other developing economies shows, socialization of medicine with a reliance on taxation to fund basic programmes is the bedrock of a good health system

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Mangalajodi Ecotourism Trust (MET) was chosen for the “Innovation in Tourism Enterprise” award by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO). (Prelims-2018)👌

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Asian Waterbird Census (AWC) 👌👌👌👌
* It is an international programme that focuses on monitoring the status of waterbirds and wetlands.
* It aims to increase public awareness on issues related to wetland and waterbird conservation.
* The census is carried out each January as a voluntary activity at national and local level.
* The AWC is co-coordinated by Wetlands International- as part of global programme, the “International Waterbird Census”.
* In India, the AWC is annually coordinated by the Bombay Natural history Society (BNHS) and Wetlands International.

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Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs): 👌👌👌
-> A diverse group of communicable diseases that prevail in tropical and subtropical conditions in 149 countries and affect more than one billion people, costing developing economies billions of dollars every year.
-> They mainly affect populations living in poverty, without adequate sanitation and in close contact with infectious vectors and domestic animals and livestock.
-> Some Neglected Tropical Diseases are: Dengue, Rabies, Trachoma, Buruli ulcer, Yaws, Leprosy,Chagas disease, Sleeping sickness (HAT), Leishmaniases, Taeniasis and neurocysticercosis, Dracunculiasis (guinea-worm disease) Echinococcosis, Foodborne trematodiases, Lymphatic filariasis, Soil-transmitted helminthiases etc.

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