Cabinet Nod: Five Central Health Schemes extended to 2020

Components of, Social Marketing of Contraceptives, Free Supply of Contraceptives are specifically targeted towards low-income group people.

New Delhi: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has given its approval for continuation of five schemes under the "Umbrella Scheme for Family Welfare and Other Health Interventions" during the Fourteenth Finance Commission period 2017-18 to 2019-20.

Expenditure:

An overall outlay of Rs. 2381.84 crore for the scheme will be spent during the Fourteenth Finance Commission period 2017-18 to 2019-20 and would be funded 100% by Central Government Budgetary support.

Benefits:

Components of, Social Marketing of Contraceptives, Free Supply of Contraceptives are specifically targeted towards low-income group people. However, the overall scheme is not restricted to any particular group or category and has the mandate to cover the population throughout India.

Impact:

The five schemes listed in the proposal are crucial to attaining the goals and objectives laid out in National Health Policy (NHP) 2017, and international commitments in the form of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SNA scheme has a very ambitious target of improving health-seeking behaviour of the population through increased awareness and enhanced uptake of health services. The other components as HSHR would assist in keeping a tab on the progress of an entire set of health programmes/schemes run by the Government of India, assisting in timely course corrections. The free and social marketing of contraceptives will enable better child and mother health, besides population stabilisation.

Implementation strategy and targets:

The target is to support the key goals of the National Health Policy 2017 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to which India is a signatory. The attempt through Media / IEC outreach is to move from care for sickness to the concept of wellness by using the 360-degree approach in conventional and social media. The target of the free distribution and social marketing of contraceptives is to improve the Modern Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (mCPR), help Family Planning and reach population stabilization. The target for NFHS is to provide reliable data on all health indicators.

All the five schemes are Central Sector Schemes with 100% funding from Central Government.  These are as follows:

a. SwasthaNagrikAbhiyan(SNA): For dissemination of information on health issues to create awareness among citizens of India of all age/sex/locations and appropriately influence their health-seeking behaviour to encourage healthy lifestyles and empower the citizens. SNA has been approved, with an estimated outlay of Rs. 1030.15 crore for three years.

b.  Free Supply of Contraceptives: For providing a free supply of contraceptives including condoms,  Oral    Contraceptive    Pills,    Pregnancy    Test    Kits,    other contraceptives, etc. to States with a view to improving Maternal and Child Health and achieving population stabilization.

c.   MIS Scheme now proposed as Health Surveys and Health Research (HSHR): For sourcing of data on population, health and nutrition for India and its States including through periodically conducted National Family Health Survey, which is one of the largest surveys of its kind worldwide. The NFHS provides valuable data for policy and programmes right up to the district level.

d.   Social Marketing of Contraceptives: For branding, attractively packaging, marketing arid selling of products and services related to Family Planning for low-income groups at affordable prices.

e.   Population Research Centres (PRCs): For third-party evaluation of the scheme on PRCs and especially of those centres which are being considered for continuation will be carried out.