A draft healthcare policy of the State government seeks to make healthcare a collective responsibility of various departments, not merely the mother department.
It will be promoted as a product of the larger developmental agenda, and linked to a host of various allied subjects.
DRAFT POLICY
Principal Secretary (Health) Rajiv Sadanandan outlined the contours of the proposed policy which represents a major departure from the way healthcare has been administered in the State.
The draft looks at ‘networked care managed by primary care groups’ in what is seen as a radical shift from the grassroots-level practices followed today.
The primary care system would be revamped through a newly-created cadre of qualified doctors trained for the purpose through a specially-designed post-graduate course.
The draft, unveiled at a seminar here, also marked the first step towards conceptualising a comprehensive health policy for the State with few parallels among peers.
JOINING DOTS
Social determinants of health such as water supply, nutrition, sanitation, prevention of ecological degradation, respect for citizen rights and gender sensitivity will join the dots of the new framework.
The policy would strive to ensure availability of required financial, technical and human resources to meet healthcare needs of the people.
Services would be made available across primary to tertiary levels through referral networks managed by primary service providers to maximise efficiency and reduce costs.
Service quality and patient protection are sought to be ensured through proper regulation, the draft said.
HELATH ACT
It envisaged a unified Kerala Public Health Policy Act by combining the existing Travancore-Cochin Public Health Act and the Madras Public Health Act and reflecting the changed requirements of today.
A strategy will be developed to further reduce maternal and infant mortality through a framework developed with Kerala Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and the National Institute of Clinical Excellence of the UK.
A cancer referral protocol will be put in place by strengthening cancer care and prevention systems, the draft said.
Trauma care will be improved through better management system and dedicated trauma care systems at district and taluk-levels. The ‘108’ ambulance services will be extended across the State.
SECTORAL REGULATION
A Medical Establishment Bill will be brought out to govern registration and regulation of healthcare institutions, including private hospitals, labs and diagnostic centres.
A system of electronic health record will be promoted by piloting a data management system that compiles all household-level data.
Ayurveda and homoeopathy systems will be promoted by setting up research, documentation and quality assurance systems, the draft policy said.