C. STRATEGIC THEMES

10. We identify 12 strategic themes which must be simultaneously pursued in "stand alone" or inter-sectoral programmes in order to achieve the national socio-demographic goals for 2010.

These are presented below:

(i) Decentralized Planning and Programme Implementation

11. The 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments Act, 1992, made health, family welfare, and education a responsibility of village panchayats. The panchayati raj institutions are an important means of furthering decentralized planning and programme implementation in the context of the NPP 2000. However, in order to realize their potential, they need strengthening by further delegation of administrative and financial powers, including powers of resource mobilization.

(ii) Convergence of Service Delivery at Village Levels

12. Efforts at population stabilization will be effective only if we direct an integrated package of essential services at village and household levels. Below district levels, current health infrastructure includes 2,500 community health centers, 25,000 primary health centers (each covering a population of 30,000), and 1.36 lakh subcenters (each covering a population of 5,000 in the plains and 3,000 in hilly regions)⁴. Inadequacies in the existing health infrastructure have led to an unmet need of 28 percent for contraception services, and obvious gaps in coverage and outreach. Health care centers are over-burdened and struggle to provide services with limited personnel and equipment. Absence of supportive supervision, lack of training in inter-personal communication, and lack of motivation to work in rural areas, together impede citizens' access to reproductive and child health services, and contribute to poor quality of services and an apparent insensitivity to client's needs. The last 50 years have demonstrated the unsuitability of these yardsticks for provision of health care infrastructure, particularly for remote, inaccessible, or sparsely populated regions in the country like hilly and forested areas, desert regions and tribal areas. We need to promote a more flexible approach, by extending basic reproductive and child health care through mobile clinics and counseling services. Further, recognizing that government alone cannot make up for the inadequacies in health care infrastructure and services, in order to resolve unmet needs and extend coverage, the involvement of the voluntary sector and the non-government sector in partnership with the government is essential.

13. Since the management, funding, and implementation of health and education programmes has been decentralized to panchayats, in order to reach household levels, a one-stop, integrated and coordinated service delivery should be provided at village levels, for basic reproductive and child health services. A vast increase in the number of trained birth attendants, at least two per village, is necessary to universalize coverage and outreach of ante-natal, natal and post-natal health care. An equipped maternity hut in each village should be set up to serve as a delivery room, with functioning midwifery kits, basic medication for essential obstetric aid, and indigenous medicines and supplies for maternal and new born care. A key feature of the integrated service delivery will be the registration at village levels, of births, deaths, marriage, and pregnancies. Each village should maintain a list of community midwives and trained birth attendants, village health guides, panchayat sewa sahayaks, primary school teachers and aanganwadi workers who may be entrusted with various responsibilities in the implementation of integrated service delivery.

14. The panchayats should seek the help of community opinion makers to communicate the benefits of smaller, healthier families, the significance of educating girls, and promoting female participation in paid employment. They should also involve civil society in monitoring the availability, accessibility and affordability of services and supplies. 

Operational strategies are described in the Action Plan at Appendix I.

(iii)Empowering Women for Improved Health and Nutrition

15. The complex socio-cultural determinants of women's health and nutrition have cumulative effects over a lifetime. Discriminatory childcare leads to malnutrition and impaired physical development of the girl child. Under nutrition and micronutrient deficiency in early adolescence goes beyond mere food entitlements to those nutrition related capabilities that become crucial to a woman's well-being, and through her, to the well-being of children. The positive effects of good health and nutrition on the labour productivity of the poor is well documented. To the extent that women are over-represented among the poor, interventions for improving women's health and nutrition are critical for poverty reduction.

16. Impaired health and nutrition is compounded by early childbearing, and consequent risk of serious pregnancy related complications. Women's risk of premature death and disability is highest during their reproductive years. Malnutrition, frequent pregnancies, unsafe abortions, RTI and STI, all combine to keep the maternal mortality ratio in India among the highest globally.

17. Maternal mortality is not merely a health disadvantage, it is a matter of social injustice. Low social and economic status of girls and women limits their access to education, good nutrition, as well as money to pay for health care and family planning services. The extent of maternal mortality is an indicator of disparity and inequity in access to appropriate health care and nutrition services throughout a lifetime, and particularly during pregnancy and child-birth, and is a crucial factor contributing to high maternal mortality.

18. Programmes for Safe Motherhood, Universal immunization, Child Survival and Oral Rehydration have been combined into an Integrated Reproductive and Child Health Programme, which also includes promoting management of STls and RTls. Women's health and nutrition problems can be largely prevented or mitigated through low cost interventions designed for low income settings.

19. The voluntary non-government sector and the private corporate sector should actively collaborate with the community and government through specific commitments in the areas of basic reproductive and child health care, basic education, and in securing higher levels of participation in the paid work force for women. 

Operational strategies are described in the Action Plan at Appendix I.

(iv) Child Health and Survival

20. Infant mortality is a sensitive indicator of human development. High mortality and morbidity among infants and children below 5 years occurs on account of inadequate care, asphyxia during birth, premature birth, low birth weight, acute respiratory infections, diarrhea, vaccine preventable diseases, malnutrition and deficiencies of nutrients, including Vitamin A. Infant mortality rates have not significantly declined in recent years.

21. Our priority is to intensify neo-natal care. A National Technical Committee should be set up, consisting principally of consultants in obstetrics, pediatrics (neonatologists), family health, medical research and statistics from among academia, public health professionals, clinical practitioners and government. Its terms of reference should include prescribing perinatal audit norms, developing quality improvement activities with monitoring schedules and suggestions for facilitating provision of continuing medical and nursing education to all perinatal health care providers. Implementation at the grass-roots must benefit from current developments in the fields of perinatology and neonatology. The baby friendly hospital initiative (BFHI) should be extended to all hospitals and clinics, up to subcentre levels. Additionally, besides promoting breast-feeding and complementary feeds, the BFHI should include updating of skills of trained birth attendants to improve new born care practices to reduce the risks of hypothermia and infection. Essential equipment for the new born must be provided at subcentre levels.

22. Child survival interventions i.e. universal immunization, control of childhood diarrheas with oral rehydration therapies, management of acute respiratory infections, and massive doses of Vitamin A and food supplements have all helped to reduce infant and child mortality and morbidity. With intensified efforts, the eradication of polio is within reach. However, the decline in standards, outreach and quality of routine immunization is a matter of concern. Significant improvements need to be made in the quality and coverage of the routine immunization programme.

Operational strategies are described in the Action Plan at Appendix I.

(v) Meeting the Unmet Needs for Family Welfare Services

23. In both rural and urban areas there continue to be unmet needs for contraceptives, supplies and equipment for integrated service delivery, mobility of health providers and patients, and comprehensive information. It is important to strengthen, energies and make accountable the cutting edge of health infrastructure at the village, subcentre and primary health center levels, to improve facilities for referral transportation, to encourage and strengthen local initiatives for ambulance services at village and block levels, to increase innovative social marketing schemes for affordable products and services and to improve advocacy in locally relevant and acceptable dialects.

Operational strategies are described in the Action Plan in Appendix I.

(vi) Under-Served Population Groups

(a) Urban Slums

24. Nearly 100 million people live in urban slums, with little or no access to potable water, sanitation facilities, and health care services. This contributes to high infant and child mortality, which in turn perpetuate high TFR and maternal mortality. Basic and primary health care, including reproductive and child health care, needs to be provided. Coordination with municipal bodies for water, sanitation and waste disposal must be pursued, and targeted information, education and communication campaigns must spread awareness about the secondary and tertiary facilities available.

Operational strategies are described in the Action Plan in Appendix I.

(b) Tribal Communities, Hill Area Populations and Displaced and Migrant Populations

25. In general, populations in remote and low density areas do not have adequate access, to affordable health care services. Tribal populations often have high levels of morbidity arising from poor nutrition, particularly in situations where they are involuntarily displaced or resettled. Frequently, they have low levels of literacy, coupled with high infant, child, and maternal mortality. They remain under-served in the coverage of reproductive and child health services. These communities need special attention in terms of basic health, and reproductive and child health services. The special needs of tribal groups which need to be addressed include the provision of mobile clinics that will be responsive to seasonal variations in the availability of work and income. Information and counseling on infertility, and regular supply of standardized medication will be included.

Operational strategies are described in the Action Plan at Appendix I.

(c) Adolescents

26. Adolescents represent about a fifth of India's population. The needs of adolescents, including protection from unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases (STD), have not been specifically addressed in the past. Programmes should encourage delayed marriage and child-bearing, and education of adolescents about the risks of unprotected sex. Reproductive health services for adolescent girls and boys is especially significant in rural India, where adolescent marriage and pregnancy are widely prevalent. Their special requirements comprise information, counseling, population education, and making contraceptive services accessible and affordable, providing food supplements and nutritional services through the ICDS, and enforcing the Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1976.

Operational strategies are described in the Action Plan in Appendix I.

(d) Increased Participation of Men in Planned Parenthood

27. In the past, population programmes have tended to exclude men folk. Gender inequalities in patriarchal societies ensure that men playa critical role in determining the education and employment of family members, age at marriage, besides access to and utilization of health, nutrition, and family welfare services for women and children. The active involvement of men is called for in planning families, supporting contraceptive use, helping pregnant women stay healthy, arranging skilled care during delivery, avoiding delays in seeking care, helping after the baby is born and, finally, in being a responsible father. In short, the active cooperation and participation of men is vital for ensuring programme acceptance. Further, currently, over 97 percent of sterilizations are tubectomies and this manifestation of gender imbalance needs to be corrected. The special needs of men include re-popularising vasectomies, in particular no- scalpel vasectomy as a safe and simple procedure, and focusing on men in the information and education campaigns to promote the small family norm.

Operational strategies are described in the Action Plan in Appendix I.

(vii) Diverse Health Care Providers

28. Given the large unmet need for reproductive and child health services, and inadequacies in health care infrastructure it is imperative to increase the numbers and diversify the categories of health care providers. Ways of doing this include accrediting private medical practitioners and assigning them to defined beneficiary groups to provide these services; revival of the system of licensed medical practitioner who, after appropriate certification from the Indian Medical Association (IMA), could provide specified clinical services.

Operational strategies are described in the Action Plan at Appendix I.

(viii) Collaboration With and Commitments from Non-Government Organizations and the Private Sector

29. A national effort to reach out to households cannot be sustained by government alone. We need to put in place a partnership of non-government voluntary organizations, the private corporate sector, government and the community. Triggered by rising incomes and institutional finance, private health care has grown significantly, with an impressive pool of expertise and management skills, and currently accounts for nearly 75 percent of health care expenditures. However, despite their obvious potential, mobilizing the private (profit and non-profit) sector to serve public health goals raises governance issues of contracting, accreditation, regulation, referral, besides the appropriate division of labor between the public and private health providers, all of which need to be addressed carefully. Where government interventions or capacities are insufficient, and the participation of the private sector unviable, focused service delivery by NGOs may effectively complement government efforts.

Operational strategies are described in the Action Plan in Appendix I.

(ix) Mainstreaming Indian Systems of Medicine and Homeopathy

30. India's community supported ancient but living traditions of indigenous systems of medicine has sustained the population for centuries, with effective cures and remedies for numerous conditions, including those relating to women and children, with minimal side effects. Utilization of ISMH in basic reproductive and child health care will expand the pool of effective health care providers, optimize utilization of locally based remedies and cures, and promote low- cost health care. Guidelines need to be evolved to regulate and ensure standardization, efficacy and safety of ISMH drugs for wider entry into national markets.

31. Particular challenges include providing appropriate training, and raising awareness and skill development in reproductive and child health care to the institutionally qualified ISMH medical practitioners. The feasibility of utilizing their services to fill in gaps in manpower at village levels, and at subcenters and primary health centers may be 'explored. ISMH institutions, hospitals and dispensaries may be utilized for reproductive and child health care programmes. At village levels, the services of the ISMH "barefoot doctors", after appropriate training, may be utilized for advocacy and counseling, for distributing supplies and equipment, and as depot holders. ISMH practices may be applied at village maternity huts, and at household levels, for ante-natal, natal and post natal care, and for nurture of the new born.

Operational strategies are described in the Action Plan in Appendix I.

(x) Contraceptive Technology and Research on Reproductive and Child Health

32. Government must constantly advance, encourage, and support medical, social science, demographic and behavioral science research on maternal, child and reproductive health care issues. This will improve medical techniques relevant to the country's needs, and strengthen programme and project design and implementation. Consultation and frequent dialogue by Government with the existing network of academic and research institutions in allopathy and ISMH, and with other relevant public and private research institutions engaged in social science, demography and behavioural research must continue. The International Institute of Population Sciences, and the population research centers which have been set up to pursue applied research in population related matters, need to be revitalized and strengthened.

33. Applied research relies upon constant monitoring of performance at the programme and project levels. The National Health and Family Welfare Survey provides data on key health and family welfare indicators every five years. Data from the first National Family Health Survey (NFHS- 1), 1992-93, has been updated by NFHS-2, 1998-99, to be published shortly. Annual data is generated by the Sample Registration Survey, which, inter alia, maps at state levels the birth, death and infant mortality rates. Absence of regular feedback has been a weakness in the family welfare progamme. For this reason, the Department of Family Welfare is strengthening its management information systems (MIS) and has commenced during 1998, a system. of ascertaining impacts and outcomes through district surveys and facility surveys. The district surveys cover 50% districts every year, so that every 2 years there is an update on every district in the country. The facility surveys ascertain the availability of infrastructure and services up to primary health centre level, covering one district per month. The feedback from both these surveys enable remedial action at district and sub-district levels.

Operational strategies are described in the Action Plan in Appendix I.

(xi) Providing for the Older Population

34. Improved life expectancy is leading to an increase in the absolute number and proportion of persons aged 60 years and above, and is anticipated to nearly double during 1996-2016, from 62.3 million to 112.9 millions. When viewed in the context of significant weakening of traditional support systems, the elderly are increasingly vulnerable, needing protection and care. Promoting old age health care and support will, over time, also serve to reduce the incentive to have large families.

35. The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has adopted in January 1999 a National Policy on Older Persons. It has become important to build in geriatric health concerns in the population policy. Ways of doing this include sensitizing, training and equipping rural and urban health centers and hospitals for providing geriatric health care; encouraging NGOs to design and implement formal and informal schemes that make the elderly economically self- reliant; providing for and routinising screening for cancer, osteoporosis, and cardiovascular conditions in primary health centers, community health centers, and urban health care centers at primary, secondary and tertiary levels; and exploring tax incentives to encourage grown-up children to look after their aged parents.

Operational strategies are described in the Action Plan in Appendix I.

 (xii) Information, Education, and Communication

36. Information, education and communication (IEC) of family welfare messages must be clear, focused and disseminated everywhere, including the remote corners of the country, and in local dialects. This will ensure that the messages are effectively conveyed. These need to be strengthened and their outreach widened, with locally relevant, and locally comprehensible media and messages. On the model of the total literacy campaigns which have successfully mobilized local populations, there is need to undertake a massive national campaign on population related issues, via artists, popular film stars, doctors, vaidyas, hakims, nurses, local midwives, women's organizations, and youth organizations.

Operational strategies are described in the Action Plan in Appendix I.

 

4 Source: MOHFW Statistics, 1998.

5 Source: Technical group on Population Projections, Planning Commission.