2013: Health min sought tough laws for drugs, clinical trials

As India inches towards being a polio-free country, the health sector made some rapid strides in strengthening regulations for drugs and clinical trials, and saw stronger food laws and re-establishment of an elected medical regulator during 2013.
Despite the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare taking some initiatives in bringing new bills for having stricter drug laws and regulation of clinical trials, and for putting rules in place for rights of mentally ill, these could not get Parliament nod.
The proposal of having a common entrance examination for admission to all medical colleges in the country was, however, struck down by the Supreme Court during the year gone by and the matter is under review of the apex court after the government challenged the verdict.

The endeavour of providing universal healthcare for all in the country remained much on paper, despite the launch of an initiative to provide free medicines in government hospitals, albeit on a small scale in some states.
The other initiative of starting a new Urban Health Mission to provide quality healthcare to the urban poor also remained on a low scale in the absence of adequate funds provided for the scheme during the year gone by.
After a gap of over three-and-a-half years, the country saw the setting up of an elected Medical Council of India (MCI) - the apex medical education regulator, which was mired in controversy ever since the arrest of its chairman Ketan Desai by CBI in a bribery case.

2013 also saw marked progress in the field of medical research with Indian Council for Medical Research launching three indigenous products - a Japanese Encephalitis Vaccine, a kit to test thalassemia and another to detect cervical cancer.
The developments were part of Health Ministry's move to develop alternative cost effective technologies, with the launch of an indigenous diabetes detection kit due in January.
The country also saw the start of six new AIIMS in various states.