Need to have a national health policy

Advocating the need to have a Natonal Health Policy to provide quality healthcare to all sections of the society, DMK treasurer M K Stalin today assured that health and education will be the top priority of DMK, if came to power in the 2016 assembly election.
With new diseases emerging, affecting all sections of the society, particularly rural masses, there was urgent need to evolve a national health policy, considering both communicable and non-communicable diseases, Stalin said.
As a first step, policy can be evolved at state level by strengthening the infrastructure faciliies in Primary Health Centres and also referral units, so that the affordable health care reached the villages, Stalin said, while speaking at the party's medical wing conference, here.

Referring to the recent UN guidelines, which suggested quality and affordable healthcare to all by 2030, Stalin said that his party government had brought many medical schemes for the benefit of the people, like insurance, old age pension, a scheme for pregnant women and also nutritional scheme for mother and children.
Stating that there was the need to have at least one doctor for 1,000 people, as against the prevailing 1,700 for one in Tamil Nadu, former deputy chief minster said if his party came to power, one medical college will be set up in each district, so that number of doctors go up.

DMK will also see to it that infrastrucure will be strengthened at PHCs and its units, he said, adding that there should be one PHC for 25,000 people and referral units for a population of 4,000 to 5,000.
Stalin charged that the AIADMK government had "diluted" the DMK's health schemes, particularly insurance, by which many diseases were left uncovered, leading to poor had to suffer financially by going to private hospital.
Stating that interacting with the doctors and nurses and public at the conference, was part of his 'Namukku Naame' tour, Stalin said that so far he has covered 11,000 KMs in 215 assembly constitucies out of 234 and received over four lakh petitions from the people and he will tour the remaining 19 constituencies by February end.