“Citizenship exists in the service of the country” - Jawaharlal Nehru

The first Prime Minister of our country, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, envisioned an India imbued with a scientific culture and it was this vision that set him on the path to create our country’s finest institutes. From engineering & management institutes like IIT & IIM to the formidable All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Pandit Nehru with the support of the Congress party laid the foundation for scientific education & healthcare in our country. His vision of India has been taken forward & further developed by every subsequent Congress government - with each new policy or scheme, two aspects have always been at the forefront: benefitting the weakest sections of society & encapsulating the best of science & technology.

AIIMS was established as an institution of national importance by an Act of Parliament with the objective to develop patterns of medical education & demonstrate cutting edge research in medical sciences & technology. It is now one of the finest medical institutes in the country.

Health Indicators

Independent India in 1947 was a proud but unhealthy nation. Our average Life Expectancy at birth was an appalling 32 years and Infant Mortality was 146/1000, Child Mortality was at 246/1000 and Maternal Mortality was over 2000/1,00,000 births. Over the subsequent decades the Congress governments have worked diligently to improve healthcare in our country and have achieved staggering results. In 2014, Life Expectancy reached 68 years, Infant Mortality was at 37.0/1000, Child Mortality was at 47.7/1000 and Maternal Mortality reached 174/1,00,000 live births.

In addition the Congress govts have also been responsible for eradicating several deadly diseases that plagued Indians for many decades. In 1974, there were over 15,000 cases of Polio in the country, this number dropped to 534 in 1997 and eventually to 1 in 2011. The Congress govt. has completely eradicated Polio from our lives. There was a similar case for Leprosy, the prevalence rate in 1983 was 57.8/10,000, however, this number dropped drastically to 0.68/10,000 in 2014.

The number of cases for Malaria, Tuberculosis, HIV Infections and Small Pox have all been significantly reduced under the leadership of Congress governments.

Healthcare Policies

In 2004, the UPA government quadrupled health expenditure from Rs. 7500 crore to Rs. 27,000 crore and initiated the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). The scheme was created to provide equitable, affordable and quality health care to the rural population, with a stronger focus on vulnerable groups. Under NRHM Empowered Action Group (EAG) States, Northeastern states, Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, were all given special focus. The scheme ensured simultaneous action would be taken on various determinants of health, such as, education, water, sanitation, nutrition and social and gender equality.

The govt. also set up the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK), an innovative scheme that envisages child health screening and early intervention services. The programme sets up a systematic approach to early identification and links to care, support and treatment.

To tackle the problem of maternal and infant mortality, the UPA govt. set up the Jananani Surkasha Yojana under NRHM, in 2005. This scheme is a safe motherhood intervention which promotes institutional delivery methods among poor pregnant women. Under the scheme there have been over 12 million deliveries with zero cost to the families. As a result Maternal Mortality Ratio has fallen considerably.

Healthcare expenses were one of the prevailing issues facing BPL families in the country. In order to tackle this, the UPA govt. launched the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY)- which provides health insurance to BPL familes. RSBY protects families from health expenses that could wipe out their life savings. Rs. 30,000 per year is given to these families as health insurance. So far 35 million families have enrolled in this programme. The scheme has been praised by global leaders as a unique, innovative and inclusive business model.

There have been several policies launched by the Congress government, that have positively impacted the overall healthcare of the country. From providing free medication to large scale immunisation drives, the primary focus has always been to help weaker sections of society. While there is still much to be done, we believe it is imperative to stay on the path Pandit Nehru has put us on - use the power of science and technology to help those most vulnerable. As a country we must strive to uplift the downtrodden & invest time, money & effort in ensuring every citizen has equal access, opportunity & right to quality healthcare. It is only when each of us are healthy, happy & prosperous that India as a whole can be a developed nation.