BMC elections 2022: NGOs release an ideal Public Health agenda ahead of Municipal Elections

According to non-profits Mumbai First and Praja Foundation, an ideal Mumbai public health manifesto should include a real-time data system for the number of deaths, causes of deaths, and prevalent diseases in the city, strengthening primary healthcare by increasing the number of dispensaries and their opening hours, and third-party audits of the healthcare sector for better accountability. On Wednesday, the two organisations unveiled their ideal manifesto in advance of the 2022 municipal elections. During the pandemic, researchers around the country, especially in Mumbai, have emphasised the necessity for real-time, comprehensive data in order to correctly identify the concerns and design appropriate solutions.

The manifesto, which was written in collaboration with over 20 Mumbai-based NGOs, emphasises that the city has just 199 dispensaries, despite the fact that the ideal number would be 858 given the city's population. Only 15 dispensaries remain open for 14 hours, with the others closing at 4 p.m. The manifesto demands for the government to have access to private health data for planning purposes, as well as the elimination of duplication of data across various civic bodies' cells, such as the tuberculosis cell, epidemiology cell, ward data, and so on.

"The platform also calls for the creation of an outcome-based budget to enable focused development and increased access to the city's primary healthcare sector," said Yogesh Mishra, Praja Foundation's research and data head.

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