The Kerala State Planning Board has called for
formulating a comprehensive State Act - The Kerala State Public Health Act –
and establishing Public Health Cadre for improving the quality of health
services in the state. The two existing Public Health Acts –
The Madras Public Health Act 1939 and the TC Public Health Act 1955 – need to
be unified for formulating the comprehensive State Act, according to a report
of the Planning Board Expert Committee on Health.
The report has come out at a time when
the government's move to establish a Public Health Protection Agency has evoked
criticism from the medical Fraternity. The government is for an Agency rather
than establishing a Public Heath Cadre and Public Health Department, whcih has
been widely crirticised. The experts have stated that the Agency would not be a
substitute to Public Health Cadre and Public Health Department, which has
already been envisaged in the National Health Policy and adopted by several
states.
The Expert
committee was formed to deliberate on the
various challenges faced by the State’s Health System and the strategies to be
adopted during 12th Five Year Plan. The report of the expert committee has been
circulated to Ministers, MLAs and MPs. It has recommended that steps should be taken to bring in the unified Act in the
legislature at the earliest.
Source: The New Indian express
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