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National Conclave On Healthcare

Samruddha Bharat organised a National Conclave on Healthcare in collaboration with the Resident Doctors’ Association AIIMS, United Resident Doctors Association of India and Union of Allied Healthcare Professionals of India. The office bearers of over a 1000 resident doctors/medical students/ nurses/ allied healthcare associations from 16 states and public health specialists participated to raise substantive issues related to healthcare, in a dialogue with eminent policymakers.

Participants: The policymakers who addressed the convention included Ghulam Nabi Azad (Leader of Opposition, Rajya Sabha & former union Health Minister), Mohammad Salim (Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha), and Prof. Manoj Jha (Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha).

The public health specialists and stakeholders who addressed the convention included Dr. Suneeta Mukherjee (former Jt. Secretary, GoI and Representative of UNFPA), Dr. Ravi Wankhedekar (President of Indian Medical Association), Dr. NK Pandey (former President of Association of Surgeons’ of India), Dr. Ankit Om (Chairperson of United Resident Doctors’ Association of India), Dr. Harjit Bhatti (President of AIIMS Resident Doctors’ Association), Rajesh Bhati (President of Union of Allied Healthcare Professionals India), and Ms. Jasreen Kaur (Vice President, Students’ Nursing Association, AIIMS).

Outcomes: Some of the resolutions that the policymakers endorsed, and that were subsequently raised in Parliament included a) halting the unprecedented commercialisation of medical education, as proposed in the National Medical Council bill, b) focusing on universalising primary healthcare, c) enhancing insurance coverage and access to essential medicines, d) boosting public expenditure on healthcare, e) striving to create a new Indian Public Health Service to ensure quality and timely delivery of health services near each citizen’s doorstep, and f) enhancing the number of healthcare professionals and addressing their legitimate concerns.