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India’s healthcare received a huge jolt in 2015 with substantial budget cuts in the BJP-led government’s first full budget, In 2016, healthcare spending was marginally increased Rs 31,965 crores to Rs 33,282 crores. However, this rise, experts felt, was notional and that the allocation was actually lower than 2014-15 budget for health. 

India’s health budget stands at 1.3% of the Gross Domestic Product, lower than Nepal.Not unexpectedly, the Rajya Sabha Standing Committee that put out a series of scathing reports on the running of the health sector, on budgetary allocations for the National Health Mission, for Ayush and for medical research. One of the most critical reports relates to Medical Council of India, which said that the council had failed in its mandate to provide quality medical education, and instill ethics among doctors in the country. The Niti Aayog considered the recommendations and released a draft replacing Medical Council of India Act, which also has its set of problems.In June, the union government’s decision to allow up to 74% foreign direct investment in pharmaceutical companies through the automatic route. This move, somefelt, could threaten competition and cripple an industry that supplies low-cost, generic drugs in the country. The government’s new and more felxible guidelines for clinical trials is, int he meanwhile, being percieved as apro-industry move that does not adequately safeguard the subjects of trials.

Year of legislations

It was also a year of health legislations and possibly more health-related laws were passed in Parliament than any other year. In August, the Rajya Sabha passed amendments to the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961, increasing the period of maternity leave from 12 weeks to 26 weeks or more than six months. The amended law also mandates that a company have a creche if they have more than 50 women employees. However, the law was only applicable to organised sector, leaving out nearly 96% of the women in the unorganised sector, expertsopined. In the same session, the Rajya Sabha also passedthe Mental Health Care Bill, 2013, that recognised the rights of mentally ill people to affordable and quality healthcare. The bill provides a detailed and extensive definition of mental illness than the present law. Both the Maternity Benefit Act and the Mental Health care bill are yet to be passed by the Lok Sabha.In August, the Union Cabinet also cleared the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2016 which banned all commerical surrogacy to couples, and only permitted surrogacy to infertile Indian couples who could find a surrogate among their relatives. This legislation evoked very strong reactions from the public health community. The industry is exploitative but what about the rights of women who earn their livelihood becoming a surrogate mother, some asked.In October, the cabinet also cleared amendments to the HIV and AIDS (Prevention and Control) Bill, 2014. While looking to address issues related to discrimination of HIV positive people, the Bill puts the onus on the government to provide treatment only “as far as possible”, a term that has worried the 21 lakhs HIV positive people in the country who depend on the government to provide free treatment for them for life. The bill is yet to be cleared by the Parliament.The only Bill that was cleared by both houses of Parliament was the amendment to the Disability Act, 1995. The amendments to Act expanded the definition of disability to include 19 more conditions, increased the reservations in governemnt employment for disabled people from 3% to 4%.Also, early this year, despite much opposition from tobacco farmers lobby and the industry lobby, the government successfully enforced 85% of graphic health warnings on tobacco packs. With this, India has jumpedin global rankings on size of tobacco pictorial warnings to the third position, having previously been at 136.

Despite these legislations, it is not clear why the National Health Policy, framed in 2015, still remains a draft. The policy has to be cleared by the cabinet and has been pending for two years. The document, experts opine, is an improvement on the previous policy document of 2002. It speaks of universal healthcare and aims to provide health services to people as an entitlement.There are other pro-industry moves made by the government, which may increase price of healthcare significantly. The government plans to overhaul the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority that fixes the price for essential medicines.So, while the year has seen many legislations that could help improve lives of some, there is no sign of a health policy that will increase access to all Indians

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Coal India Limited officials have set up a high-level committee to enquire into security lapses by the private mining developer.

The mine was an open-cast one. In open-cast mining, large pits are dug to access the coal seam. The excavated earth is piled up on one side of the mine.More than 20 workers were trapped under 200 feet of debris when the debris removed at the open-cast mine collapsed on Thursday evening.“This overburden dump, a huge landmass that had been dug up earlier and measured over a hundred feet high, collapsed, burying the workers and the machines at the site,” said Varun Varghese, the spokesperson for Eastern Coalfields Limited.Several workers were feared trapped under the 200 feet of debris on Friday afternoon.Arvind Kumar, district collector of Godda, said workers at the mine had put the number of those present at the site when the accident occurred at 22. “Rescue operations are still on. 

I am unable to independently confirm the number of persons who may still be trapped,” said Kumar, who was supervising the rescue efforts at the site.Varghese said 10 machines – excavators and dumpers – were at work when the accident took place. One to two workers were assigned per machine. Two dumpers were driven away when the overburden began to slide.The superintendent of police of Godda, HL Chauhan, told news agencies that rescue operations started at 6 am on Friday. Varghese denied that rescue work was delayed because of fog at the mine site at night. “Rescue operations started late last night itself,” he said. “Two technical directors reached the site at 2 am from West Bengal to monitor the rescue operations. 

”Mahalaxmi Infra Contract Pvt Limited, a mining contractor, was carrying out mining operations on behalf of Eastern Coalfields Limited, a subsidiary of Coal India Limited, a public sector company. Mahalaxmi had hired the workers – the majority of whom were migrants – to work as operators on contractual basis at the Pahari Bhorya site.Five of the nine dead have been identified as Nageshwar Kumar, Rajendra Yadav and Harekrishna Yadav, from Bihar; Brajesh Yadav from Uttar Pradesh; Javed Akhtar from Garhwa district in Jharkhand.Rahul Guha, director general of mine safety at Coal India Limited, said a survey team had reached the site on Friday from Dhanbad.

 “It is a bench slope failure, comparable to a landslide of debris at the site,” he said. “This was an outsourced patch, where a private mine developer was engaged. We have set up a high level committee to enquire into what caused the accident.”A senior official with Coal India Limited in Ranchi who declined to be identified said such accidents could happen if the debris, or overburden, lying over the coal seams was not spread out properly. “Open-cast mining requires a right balance to be maintained of the overburden’s slope,” he said. “The material removed to expose the coal must be spread over a sufficiently large base. If this is not done, the slope may be too steep and vertical and creates a risk of collapse such as in this case.Jharkhand chief minister Raghuvar Das has announced Rs 2 lakh compensation for the families of those killed in the collapse and Rs 25,000 aid to the injured..

The Kremlin has promised an adequate response to the actions taken by the Barack Obama administration.

The sites contained information on upcoming conferences at the institution.

In other headlines: Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu was suspended from his party, and the US imposed sanctions on Russia for election hacking.

1. Akhilesh Yadav rebels, releases his own list of 235 candidates: Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh had announced the first list on Wednesday and ruled out any alliance for the elections. 
2. Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu, deputy CMsuspended from People’s Party of Arunachal: Five other legislators were also barred for allegedly carrying out ‘anti-party activities’. 
3. US imposes sanctions on Russian intelligence agencies in retaliation to election hacking: The Kremlin has promised an adequate response to the actions taken by the Barack Obama administration. 
4. Separatist leader Masarat Alam released, rearrestedon the same day: Alam has been accused of making an ongoing agitation successful while in custody, according to the latest order. 
5. IIT-Madras websites hacked, messages praising Pakistan posted on them, say reports: The sites contained information on upcoming conferences at the institution.
6. Demonetisation meant for long-term structural transformation, not for short-term gain, says Narendra Modi: In an interview to India Today, the prime minister said the Centre’s objective was to ‘clean our economy and society of the menace of black money’.
7. Ordinance on penalties for holding old notes beyond March 31 to be sent for president’s approval: The order, which can penalise citizens for possessing more than Rs 10,000 in demonetised bills, will come into effect on December 31.
8.  Jayalalithaa’s aide Sasikala Natarajan is the AIADMK’s new general secretary: The decision was taken at the ruling party’s general body meeting on Thursday, the first one since the death of the former chief minister.
9. Several trapped under debris as coal mine collapses in Jharkhand’s Godda district: The police have yet to confirm the number of people, machines and vehicles stuck inside the structure.
10. ‘Foul play’ not ruled out in Russian plane crash, says military official heading inquiry: Lt General Sergei Bainetov said a terror attack doesn’t always involve an explosion, days after the transport minister said they wouldn’t focus on that angle.

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