Ministry of Health reconstitutes Central Council of Health and Family Welfare

New Delhi: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has reconstituted the Central Council of Health And Family Welfare, an apex advisory body set up for matters concerning health this year. The ministry also defined the nature of duties performed by the Council and the procedures, through a notification.

The Central Council of Health And Family Welfare is an apex advisory body which was set up under Article 263 of the Constitution, with an aim to provide support and advice to the Department of Health, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on policy formulation and to consider and recommend broad lines of policy in regard to matters concerning health.

This council was established for effective coordination between the centre and states in matters pertaining to health policy formulation.

A gazette of India notification dated 22nd April 2022 issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has notified in exercise of the powers conferred by the Article 263 of the Constitution, the President has reconstituted the Central Council of Health and Family Welfare and defined the nature of duties to be performed by it and its organization.

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The council comprises the Chairman who is the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare and the Vice Chairman who is the Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare. The full-time member of NITI Aayog, ministers in charge of the ministries of health and family welfare, medical education and public health in the states and Union territories, a representative from each of the Union territories; Dr Subhash Ramrao Bhamre and Dr Arvind Kumar Sharma, Lok Sabha members and Dr Sumer Singh Solanki and Dineshchandra Jemalbhai Anavadiya, members of Rajya Sabha are members of the Council.

There are six non-official members - the president of the Indian Medical Association; Family Planning Association of India; Indian Council of Child Welfare; Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry; All India Organisation of Employers; and Chairperson of Central Social Welfare Board.

And six official members of the council- the Secretaries of the Department of Health and Family Welfare; Department of Health Research and Director General of ICMR; Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH); Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development; Ministry of Women and Child Development; and Director General of Health Services.

The Economic Advisor of the Department will be the Member Secretary of the Council.

The Gazette notification also defines the nature of the duties to be performed by the Council; it shall consider and recommend broad lines of policy in regard to matters concerning health and family welfare in all its aspects, such as the provision of remedial, promotive and preventive care, environmental hygiene, nutrition, health education and the promotion of facilities for training and research.

The council shall make a proposal for legislation in fields of activity relating to medical and public health and Family Welfare matters, laying down the pattern of development for the country as a whole and examine the whole field of possible co-operation on a wide basis in regard to inter-State quarantine during the time of festivals, an outbreak of epidemics and serious calamities such as earthquakes and famines and to draw up a common programme of action.

The council shall be responsible for recommendations to the Central Government regarding distribution of available grants-in-aid for Health and Family Welfare purposes to the States and to review periodically the work accomplished in different areas through the utilization of these grants-in-aid, and establish any organization or organizations invested with appropriate functions for promoting and maintaining co-operation between the Central and State Health and Family Welfare administration.

The Council shall in its conduct of business observe the meeting once or more each year and shall have five members (including the Chairman) shall form the quorum for a meeting. The Chairman and, in his absence Vice-Chairman or such member as may be designated by the Chairman in this behalf from among the members referred to in clause (d) of sub-paragraph (I) of paragraph 1 shall preside at the meeting.

All questions which may come up before the Council at the meeting shall be decided by a majority of vote of the members (including the Chairman) present at the meeting. Further in case of equality of votes, the person presiding shall have a second or casting vote.

The Council shall observe in the conduct of its business such other procedure as it may, with the approval of the Central Government, lay down from time to time.

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