healthaccountsscheme.nic.in Health Account Scheme : Indian Council of Medical Research

Organization : Indian Council of Medical Research
Scheme Name : Health Account Scheme
Country: India

Website : http://healthaccountsscheme.nic.in/account/Login

Health Account Scheme :

Health Account Scheme is to improve health of the people by utilizing information technology for getting and analyzing information for better policy planning.

Related : Ministry of Science & Technology INSPIRE Faculty Scheme : www.statusin.in/1335.html

Under this scheme you get one Health Diary with carbon page with each page. Original of the Health Diary remains with the user and carbon copy is used by us for feeding information in your individual health account.

The information of health given by you remains confidential as nowhere your identity, but a health account number will be used for analyzing and preparing report for providing health services as per need of you area. To begin with only limited sites for 1000 household are being tested for the scheme to record benefits and acceptability of the scheme.

A health camp in your nearby area will provide free health checkups and common tests to Health Diary holders, also the education to improve upon health by becoming more aware of measures.

3 unique features:
Consumer will have composite health status at one place, easy to show to time starved consulting Doctors Effective information to government to plan area and need specific, comprehensive service delivery and health education

Real time trend person, area and disease specific information of morbidities for efficient/better policy planning

1. Individualized health diary with carbonless carbon page
2. Health account with unique account number
3. Individualized inputs from consumers about their health, treatment, checkup and health related needs

Carbon page to computer software at HAS website-for age, gender, socio-economic and area wise analysis of diseases, treatment diagnosis and needs expressed by consumers

Monthly feedback reports to provide inputs for health camps for diary holders where free screening of blood sugar, Hemoglobin, Blood pressure, Height, Weight and Clinical examination, health promotion and preventive education and facilities for counseling as per need expressed in health diary

Timely check on progression of chronic diseases Education of Area specific solution and making people equal partner

Document:

Health Accounting Scheme Empowering people for health care through inter-sectoral co-ordination. Indian Council of Medical Research (Department of Health Research, MOHFW) Background and Rationale If ** Health for all** is to be achieved, it is needed to address health disparities, inequalities among groups with more or less social advantage, fairly equal. – World Bank With 70% of population in India living in rural areas and 95% of work force working in unorganized sectors, and disproportionately large percentage of these living below poverty line, there is strong need to develop social security mechanisms for this segment of population.

The most vulnerable group among these is the women. The Challenges we face while providing health for all are increasing health care costs, high financial burden and income of poor gets eroded, increasing burden of new disease patterns and increasing risks, Governmental health care system is underfunded- -. It is estimated that gain of five years of life expectancy can enhance a country’s economic growth by 0.3 to 0.5% per year. – Hon’ble Minister of Health and Family Welfare The successful implementation of NRHM and tracking the impact of interventions undertaken requires reliable estimates of morbidity as well as mortality at the district level.

Since none of the existing mechanisms provide district level estimates, there is an urgent need to evolve a system that can provide suitably reliable district level estimates of IMR, MMR, leading causes of death and morbidity. –NRHM document, MOHFW ** There is a need of data to identify where the problem exist and provide the evidence to support and evaluate interventions through INDEPTH network, which support capacity building of demographic surveillance system.

It is surprising how much we already know about poverty, equity and health research, how little we do about it and how ineffective we are when we do act** -Hoda Rashad, WHO Major scientific breakthroughs hold the promise of more effective prevention, management and treatment for an array of critical health problems. While their fruits are enjoyed by those nations and groups with the means of access, they are generally not available to the world’s poor who, instead, progressively crowd the margins behind barriers that are ever more difficult to penetrate.

Despite overall gains in health since independence in 1947, in many instances, health inequities between rich and poor have widened. New and reemerging diseases have undermined gains, and accidents, injuries, mental health problems and non-communicable diseases pose new challenges even as India tries to cope with the long standing challenges of maternal and infant mortality. This, therefore, may prove a metaphor for the twenty first century: the choice between inclusive worlds focused on health problems that afflict the vulnerable, or a growing marginalization of those with the greatest burden from the means to improve their situation -World Development Report, 1995. Over the past decade or so, there is substantial evidence to suggest that national governments of several countries increasingly recognize that health research has the potential to help reduce the impact of many health problems faced by their populations, and thus contribute to national development. Poor health and more broadly poverty and vulnerability, have never received as much genuine political attention as in the recent past. This was emphasized in the World Banks 1995 World Development Report.

In India, this recognition has been there from even before independence in 1947 AD, and governmental support to a limited extent has been available. Recently, the National Commission on Population (NCP), chaired by the Hon’ble Prime Minister, desired that an Annual Health Survey (AHS) be carried out to prepare a Health Profile of all the Districts in the country. The MOHFW explored the feasibility of involving the machinery of the National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO) and the Registrar General of India.

A Task Force has been set up under the Chairmanship of Addl. Director General (States), MOHFW, to identify the list of indicators that ought to be collected at the District-level, its frequency/ periodicity and also to suggest the infrastructure required for undertaking the Survey. This Task Force has met once and discussed various issues and alternatives as also the status of the AHS vis-à-vis the DLHS (district linked house hold survey) and the machinery required for undertaking the survey. This however lacked inclusion of the participation of the major stakeholder that is the population itself.

Health Research and Evidence based Health Policies: It is undoubtedly accepted that any policy or strategy should be evidence based, especially if scarce resources are to be utilized in implementing the policies. There are several examples of Indian research providing the evidence for the formulation of strategies, policies and programmes (Vitamin A prophylaxis, National Malaria Elimination Programme, National Immunisation Days, DOTS regimen f or treatment of tuberculosis).

The contributions made by these were essentially Indian discoveries for National welfare, but in some instances they had to be rediscovered by international agencies before they were nationally implemented. There is a need for Health Research aimed primarily generating information coordinating all concerned stake holders and using it for determining national priorities for implementing health programmes.

Current Situation in India:
Achievements in improving health of its population are not the result of any single agency’s effort in India. Coordinated efforts of a number of agencies of the government, especially in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Indian Council of Medical research, the Ministry of Science and Technology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Department of Biotechnology, Department of Science and Technology, The Ministry of Human Resource Development (University Grants Commission) and many others have worked together to achieve these results. Clearly a policy driven investment in infrastructure and manpower development and a climate of scientific freedom that fostered initiatives as envisaged in the National Science Policy.

This coordinated effort has developed a number of facilities, which can form the nucleus around which further capacities can be developed. The achievements of Indian health researchers could have been greater but for some identifiable constraints. These are matter of concern and it is necessary to identify them in order to give the necessary impetus.

1. Intersectoral linkages are weak and serve primarily for information and not for coordinated action.
2. The tools of modern information technology and biotechnology are relatively inaccessible to the majority of health professionals and researchers.
3. The links between health research, health services and programmes with stakeholders are weak and ill defined.