A list of path-breaking developments that made headlines in 2018

Ayushman Bharat

Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, the world’s largest Government funded healthcare programme, was launched by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Jharkhand on September 23, 2018. It provides a cover of up to Rs 5 lakhs per family per year, at any Government or empanelled private hospital, for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation that would cover all investigations, medicine, pre-hospitalisation expenses and all pre-existing conditions. There is no restriction on family size, age or gender.

End TB Summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Delhi End TB Summit and launched the TB Free India Campaign on March 13, 2018. The summit was jointly organised by the Government of India, Stop TB Partnership and WHO South East Asia Regional Office.

Living Will

The Supreme Court  allowed an individual to draft a living will specifying that they not be put on life support if they slip into an incurable coma. The order was passed by a five judge Constitutional bench comprising Chief Justice of India, which said: “Human beings have the right to die with dignity.” Though the judges gave four separate opinions, all of them were unanimous that a Living Will should be allowed, because an individual should not be allowed to continue suffering in a vegetative state when they don’t wish to continue living, and know full well that they will not revive. However, the Apex Court set strict guidelines on how to execute it.

NMC Bill

The Government is hoping to pass the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill which is pending in the Parliament. The Bill seeks to replace the MCI with a NMC as a regulatory body for medical education and practice in the country. Among other provisions, the Bill establishes four autonomous Boards under the supervision of the NMC: Under-Graduate Medical Education Board, Post-Graduate Medical Education Board, Medical Assessment and Rating Board and Ethics and Medical Registration Board.

The Bill, which was introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 29, 2017, was referred to a Standing Committee on January 4, 2018 on account of opposition from IMA to certain provisions of the Bill. The Standing Committee submitted its report on March 20, 2018 following which the Cabinet approved certain official amendments to the NMC Bill.