Government decides to replace healthcare body, forms National Health Authority

The government has decided to dissolve the National Health Agency and approved formation of a new body named National Health Authority as an attached office to the Ministry of Health for better implementation of Ayushman Bharat, the center’s healthcare scheme for the poor. The existing multi-tier decision making structure has been replaced with the Governing Board chaired by the Union Minister of Health which will enable the decision-making at a faster pace, required for smooth implementation of the scheme. The composition of the governing board of the new body is broad-based with due representations from the government and domain experts. Besides, the states shall also be represented on the board on rotational basis. No new funds have been approved. Existing budget that was approved earlier by the cabinet for the National Health Agency, including costs related to IT, human resources, infrastructure, and operational costs would be utilized by the proposed National Health Authority. It is envisaged that the National Health Authority shall have full accountability, authority, and mandate to implement the scheme through an efficient, effective, and transparent decision-making process.