US' WHO exit won't impact India projects: Government

NEW DELHI: Health minister J P Nadda has said the US announcing its exit from the WHO will not impact the ongoing programmes being implemented in India in partnership with the UN agency.
"Our projects and programmes will continue. As far as health is concerned, we are not dependent on anybody," Nadda said at a press conference Tuesday on the progress made in the last 10 years under the National Health Mission (NHM). "There are many programmes where WHO partners with us, and there will be no disruption. India is one of the major contributors to WHO."
Highlighting achievements made under the NHM, Nadda said the number of specialist doctors available under govt programmes has doubled in the last 10 years. In a big boost to healthcare services in underserved areas, he said, human resources such as medical officers and nurses have also increased significantly under the NHM. The share of central release under the NHM has seen a 185% growth since 2014, he said.
Health is a priority area and finance for this sector has never been an issue for the various programmes run by the Centre, Nadda said, ahead of the Union Budget Saturday. There is a shift from curative healthcare to preventive, curative, rehabilitative healthcare in order to provide comprehensive services, he said.