Eleventh Five Year Plan

Health and Family Welfare and AYUSH 85Medical Council as an apex body to determine standardsand to ensure uniform enforcement throughoutthe country. On similar lines, councils forphysiotherapy and occupational therapy shouldalso be established.3.1.105 National Accreditation Board for Hospitalsand Health care Providers (NABH), a constituentBoard of Quality Council of India, has adoptedstandards and accreditation process in line withworldwide accreditation practices. Academy ofHospital Administration had formulated a standardfor NABH. Other organizations like Indian Confederationfor Health Care Accreditation and financialrating organizations like ICRA have started theprocess of accreditation and rating the health institutions.3.1.106 Of late, the government has given approvalfor introducing the Clinical Establishments (Registrationand Regulation) Bill in the Parliament. The proposedlegislation will cover all clinical organizationsin different streams of medicine including AYUSHsystems. Under this legislation, all the clinical establishmentsincluding diagnostic centres will be registeredand regulated by the National Council ofStandards. The council will prescribe minimumstandards for health services and maintain nationalregister of clinical establishments.3.1.107 Efforts will be made to enforce standardsfor government hospitals at all levels. Priority will begiven for development of Standard Operating Proceduresand Standard Treatment Guidelines for allspecialties and all systems of medicines. A NationalAdvisory Board for Standards will be set up andfinancial assistance will be provided to States forsetting up infrastructure for registration of clinicalestablishments.3.1.108 The following activities will be accorded priorityduring the Eleventh Five Year Plan:• Legislation for registration of clinical establishmentsin the country.• Development of uniform standards for infrastructureand service delivery.• Re-registration in case of additional and higherqualifications.• Creation of National Registers of all medical andparamedical personnel.• Setting up a National Paramedical and other Councilsfor regulating education and service delivery.• Recognition of RMPs as sahabhaagis in NRHM.Emerging TechnologiesLOW COST AND INDIGENOUS TECHNOLOGIES3.1.109 For quality health service, development andutilization of appropriate technologies for diagnosisand treatment of diseases is essential. Over the last fewyears, health-related technology has developed at arapid pace. But its impact on indices of public healthhas been minimal. There is a need to develop cheapertechnologies that are as effective as the existing ones.Many technologies are expensive, so alternatives arebadly needed. It should be of prime concern to findtechnological solutions for making crucial equipmentaffordable, for example, anaesthesia machine, surgicalequipment and lighting, sterilization equipment,defibrillator, ventilator, electrocardiogram (ECG),blood pressure monitoring equipment, pulse oxymeter.Benefits of reduced cost of such technologies shouldreach village health care providers.3.1.110 Apart from the secondary and tertiary care,there is need and scope to introduce the use of publichealth related technologies and public health relatedpractices at all levels of health care. Use of the technologieslike those indicated in Box 3.1.11 would helpto prevent outbreaks of waterborne diseases, maternalmortality related to unsafe deliveries and postpartuminfections, anaemia, prevent acquisition ofmalaria, and deaths due to childhood pneumonias,etc. Efforts will be made in the Eleventh Five Year Planto promote public health related technologies.ROLE OF e-HEALTH3.1.111 Appropriate use of IT for an enhanced role inhealth care and governance will be aimed at duringthe Eleventh Five Year Plan. It is feasible to set up aNational Grid to be shared by health care providers,trainers, beneficiaries, and civil society. The countryalready has the advantage of a strong fibre backbone