New law to strengthen public health response.

July 11, 2022

India is all set to enhance emergency response preparedness in the wake of Covid-19 with the government forming a high-level committee this week to finalise the new public health law and repeal the Epidemic Diseases Act of 1897.
The seven-member committee, chaired by Girija Vaidyanathan, former Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary and incumbent expert member of the National Green Tribunal, has been directed to submit its report within a month of the first meeting.
The primary objective of the committee was to ready the new law and repeal the 125-year-old epidemic Act which was woefully inadequate to deal with pandemics, as evidenced during the Covid-19 outbreak.
The antiquated Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, is ineffective in supporting public health surveillance and responding comprehensively to public health emergencies arising from epidemics and disasters and needs to be replaced with a new law, particularly in light of the International Health Regulations (IHR), 2005. There is also a need to provide a legislative framework in keeping with the UN General Assembly Resolution on the Prevention and Control of NCDs (non-communicable diseases), 2011.
The new Public Health Act, proposed to be enacted under Entries 13 and 14 of Seventh Schedule and Article 253 of the Constitution, seeks to strengthen public health governance in India.
The draft Bill provides for the constitution of public health authorities at the national, state, district and block level with well-defined public health powers and functions. “It will mandate the preparation of national, state and district-level policies and plans and ensure decentralisation.
The establishment of public health laboratories and setting up of central and state-level public health cadres are among other hallmarks of the draft law.