Niti Aayog prodding: UP to merge 4 health ministries

LUCKNOW: In a decision, which could have far-reaching consequences, the UP government has in principle agreed to integrate various departments concerning the health sector into one ministry instead of being scattered into four different ones -medical and health, medical education, family welfare, and mother and child welfare.

Sources said the agreement in principle came from UP government in an undertaking given to Niti Aayog in June-July itself. UP government had been given three months to complete the integration, but the deadline is over, a senior minister told TOI. It is very likely that the Niti Aayog team coming on November 9 will take up the issue. Even as officials at chief minister's office said that the government decided to integrate various health-related departments into one, Niti Ayog adviser Alok Kumar told TOI that the policy think-tank had suggested restructuring of ministries for better administrative control. Kumar further said that it is always good to have less ministries as it helps in smooth administration. He said Jharkhand and Rajasthan have already begun restructuring and the former has in fact reduced them from 50 to 30.

Meanwhile, a senior mini ster in Yogi cabinet, preferring anonymity , cited example of administrative hurdles. He said that National Health Mission falls under family welfare ministry held by Rita Bahuguna Joshi, hence the NHM budget comes to it but the tendering and executing authority for the projects is with medical and health held by Siddharthnath Singh. Similarly, certain adminis trative works fall under medical education ministry under Ashutosh Tandon `Gopalji“, but execution is done by medical and health ministry .

Consequently , the minister said, that to execute any work under NHM, the medical and health ministry has to seek proposal from family welfare department and hence problems arise in payment for the project once the work is done.

A senior minister said that the integration would be completed before year-end. If it does happen, it would be interesting to see how ministers would be accommodated as there is still scope of appointing at least 12 more ministers with UP cabinet strength being 48.

On Wednesday , chief minister Aditya Nath Yogi has convened a coordination meeting of all health ministries. The agenda includes discussion on projects like Mission Indradhanush under NHM.