To improve India’s readiness for upcoming public health emergencies, NITI Aayog has proposed the Public Health Emergency Management Act (PHEMA). The Pandemic Preparedness and Emergency Response (PPER) framework, which was created in reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic, includes this idea. Renu Swarup, the previous secretary of the Department of Biotechnology, led a group of specialists that developed the PPER framework. Dr. Soumya Swaminathan and Dr. Sujeet Singh were among the other experts that contributed to the creation of the framework.
The framework aspires to achieve disease control, prevention, and mitigation within 100 days and highlights the significance of having a strong and quick emergency response system that can respond on day zero of an outbreak. In addition to addressing epidemics, the act is intended to address non-communicable diseases, disasters, and bioterrorism as dangers to public health.
Establishing a dedicated fund for pandemic preparedness and emergency response is one of the main recommendations. Activities include data management, forecasting, research, and the creation of vaccinations and other countermeasures would be covered by this fund. In order to improve access to necessary healthcare products, the Aayog also recommends building an Institute of Innovation for new platform technologies, increasing vaccination research, scaling up manufacturing capabilities, and enhancing supply chain logistics.
The research also highlights the need for both federal and state governments to establish competent public health cadres. Additionally, centers of excellence for essential gap area training would be developed. In the event of a public health emergency, pre-approved agreements and rules would promote private sector involvement in fields including manufacturing, research, and surveillance.
The Aayog promotes clearly defined roles, accountability procedures, and emergency reporting frameworks to facilitate seamless center-state cooperation. To respond quickly to biological threats, a comprehensive implementation manual or standard operating procedure (SOP) would be created.
Furthermore, NITI Aayog advises developing a strong, comprehensive surveillance network that connects clinical, genomic, and epidemiological data to address environmental, animal, and human health. This would facilitate more effective illness tracking and management.
The WHO estimates that nearly 4.7 million deaths in India were connected to the COVID-19 pandemic, which presented the nation with enormous challenges. The goal of this new idea is to guarantee a more prepared and robust public health system and to stop similar catastrophic health consequences in the future.
SOURCE :
ECONOMICS TIMES
