Journalism of Courage
On World Health Day being today,the Jan Aarogya Abhiyaan has urged the government to reconsider its decision on a new drug procurement method. If the new method is adopted from June 1 then all the procurement will be done centrally in Mumbai.
Jan Aarogya Abhiyaan activists Dr Abhay Shukla and Dr Anant Phadke held a meeting on the issue today and pointed out that the remedy for corruption was not centralization but transparency in the drug procurement method.
We have demanded that the Tamil Nadu model of drug procurement should be adopted,said Phadke .
The JAA also expressed apprehension that the new centralised procurement method may lead to delays and there will no flexibility to adapt to local needs.
Ranjana Kanhare from Nandurbar,Basavraj Nare from Osmanabad,Bandu Sane from Amravati and Hema Pisal from MASUM also spoke on the occasion . They have also appealed the state health minister to give the final approval for the standard charter of patients rights.
Several like minded organizations along with the JAA have come together and prepared a joint statement on patients rights and responsibilities.
While the government had declared the goal of health for all by 2000 AD,ten years have passed and nothing has been achieved,claimed Shukla.
They also urged that the draft national health bill should be adopted with various recommendations. Apart from the bill the JAA has also demanded that the government should adopt the recommendations of the Saxena committee and that of the Right to Food campaign about the poverty line.
