Centre asks States for suggestions to make changes in PCPNDT Act for gender equality

New Delhi [India], July 15 : Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Saturday called upon the states to give suggestions for changes in the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act for gender equality.
The PC-PNDT Act intends to prohibit prenatal diagnostic techniques for the determination of the sex of the foetus which may lead to female foeticide.
The Union Health Minister said, “The Centre and States will work together to address the issue of sex ratio imbalance in the country.”
The two-day-long Swasthya Chintan Shivir of the Union Health Ministry concluded on Saturday in Dehradun.
On day two Mandaviya said, “Swasthya Chintan Shivir should help bring us closer to the idea of last-mile connectivity in health."
He also called upon "Lok Bhagidari" (people’s participation) in eliminating Tuberculosis from the country and said that it can go a long way to make India TB-free.
“Lok Bhagidari, people’s participation, is a very essential activity to eliminate the burden of Tuberculosis in the country. I exhort people to come forward to become Nikshay Mitras, as it can go a long way to make India TB-free,” Mandaviya said.
Mandaviya said that there is a need to ensure comprehensive and saturation coverage of all health schemes so that no eligible beneficiary is left behind.
“Need to ensure comprehensive and saturation coverage of all health schemes so that no eligible beneficiary is left behind,” he added.
The Union Health Minister in his closing remarks also said that participants of the Shivir should implement the learnings from this conclave in their respective areas.
"When we go back to our states from this immersive Chintan Shivir, let us employ the learnings from this conclave and resolve through our focused policies that we shall saturate the nation with Ayushman Bharat cards, and Ayushman Bharat Health Account IDs; and make our states TB Mukt, and also work towards eliminating leprosy, Kalaazar, and malaria from the country," Union Minister Mandaviya said.
He further stated that a vision document should be prepared for the next 25 years which will help in providing the best healthcare to the people in the country.
"Let us design a vision document which will act like a roadmap for the next 25 years of the country’s Amrit Kaal to guide our efforts towards providing the best healthcare to the citizens of our states," he said.
The Swasthya Chintan Shivir saw the participation of Sikkim CM Prem Singh Tamang, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, S P Singh Baghel, TS Singh Deo (Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister, Chhattisgarh), Brajesh Pathak (Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister, Uttar Pradesh), BS Pant (Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation, Sikkim), Vishwas Sarang (State Medical Education Minister, Madhya Pradesh), and K Lakshmi Narayanan (Minister of Public Works, Puducherry).
Health Ministers from various states including Dhan Singh Rawat (Uttarakhand), Rajini Vidadala (Andhra Pradesh), Alo Libang (Arunachal Pradesh), Keshab Mahanta (Assam), Rushikesh Patel (Gujarat), Banna Gupta (Jharkhand), Dinesh Gundu Rao (Karnataka), Sapam Ranjan Singh (Manipur), Dr R. Lalthyangliana (Mizoram), Thiru Ma. Subramanian (Tamil Nadu) participated in the concluding session.
"He also encouraged states to hold their own Chintan Shivir where localized solutions can be arrived at as per their specific healthcare needs and priorities," an official statement said.
Union MoS (Health) SP Singh Baghel said that deliberations during the Shivir can lead to strong outcomes in healthcare provisioning in the country.
"These two days saw open dialogue across states, and I believe that these deliberations can lead to strong outcomes in healthcare provisioning in the country," he said.
On the last day of this two-day event, sessions were held on various facets of healthcare in India today ranging from the status of medical education to the National Tuberculosis Elimination Mission, District Residency Programme, and Ayushman Bhav.
VK Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog, Rajesh Bhushan, Union Health Secretary and other senior officials were also present during the conclave.