NEW DELHI: The government has launched a national framework for malaria elimination and also to bring improved health and quality of life, Rajya Sabha was informed today.
"The National Framework for Malaria Elimination in India (2016-2030) has been launched. This framework has been developed with a vision to eliminate malaria from the country and contribute to improved health and quality of life.
"The new framework encourages all states with different levels of malaria transmission to interrupt indigenous transmission of malaria in all states/UTs by WTO global target," Union Health Minister J P Nadda said in a written reply.
As per the World Malaria report 2015, 14 per cent of the population in India lives in high transmission area of malaria. In 2014, 562 and in 2015, 287 (provisional) deaths were reported due to malaria.
The strategy of the government to control malaria includes surveillance and case management (case detection, early diagnosis), integrated vector management, epidemic preparedness, supportive interventions amongst others.
Nadda said malaria elimination activities shall be taken up in the country by dividing the states under three categories based on Annual Parasite Incidence (API).
This includes Category one (elimination), category two (pre elimination) and category three (intensified malaria control), with focus on area specific activities and stratification from macro to micro-level.
"The Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) have already been trained and provided rapid diagnostic test kits (RDT) for diagnosis of malaria," Nadda said.
Replying to another question, he said as per 12th Five year plan, total public funding by the centre and states, plan and non-plan, on core health is envisaged to increase to 1.87 per cent of GDP.
"The Draft National Health Policy 2015 envisages raising progressively the public health expenditure to 2.5 per cent of the GDP," he said.
He added that stakeholder responses on the draft National Health Policy 2015 have suggested an increase in public health spending as a per cent of Gross National Product beyond the current level of 1.1 per cent mentioned in the draft policy.