Health And HIV/AIDS Policies Of Catholic Church In India Launched

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Cardinal Toppo Launches Health And HIV/AIDS Policies Of Catholic

Church In India

New Delhi, August 31, 2005 (Henry D'Souza):

President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India, Cardinal

Telesphore Toppo officially launched the Health and HIV/AIDS

Policies of the Catholic Church in India on Wednesday, August 31 at

India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.

The policy has been prepared by the CBCI Commission for Health Care

which is headed by the Archbishop of Bangalore Bernard Moras with

the help of experts in the field.

Launching the policies, Cardinal Toppo said: " Health is wealth. All

of us know the value of health. It is precious for us. Any little

sickness, any little pain, is enough to change the whole rhythm of

our life. It affects our work. It reduces our efficiency. It

disturbs our rest and even sleep. It burdens the other members of

our families or communities. It even upsets their life-schedule. "

Emphasising the need of providing universal health care, Cardinal

Toppo declared, " A healthy mind in a healthy body. For a nation that

aims at true development and real progress, the priority should be

the health of the people. Even when a nation becomes a nuclear

power, or secures high industrial growth and enviable economic

expansion, if the health of the people is neglected, none of these

achievements could be counted worth the while. "

Appreciating the health care provided by the Government, Archbishop

of Ranchi, Cardinal Toppo said, " In the field of healthcare in our

country, we know that there has been a gradual and steady growth in

the personnel, health care facilities, and the availability of some

of the best treatment and care. Through the intervention of

successive Governments, we have managed to eradicate some of the

dreaded diseases from our country. "

However, lamenting over the insufficient allocation of resources for

health care the first tribal Cardinal declared, " It is estimated

that it will cost India a hundred thousand crores by 2010 to reach

the WHO's minimum standard of health care. Going by the current

rate, the Government and private sector combined will be spending

only about Rupees forty thousand crores. Some say that India today

is standing where Japan and Italy stood 30 years ago. "

Insisting on the need for making the super speciality facilities

made available to all sections of the society, the Cardinal

stated, " Of course, the globalization has brought in super

speciality hospitals into our country. These modern healthcare

facilities available in our country will help `medical tourism',

which could be promoted. But, at the same time, one question remains

unanswered: what about the healthcare needs of the millions of the

common, ordinary, poor women and men? Does the new advancement in

health care cater to their needs? "

During the function Union Health Minister Dr Anbumani Ramadoss

released the Revised Health Care Policy and Minister for Statistics

and Programme Implementation Mr. Fernandes the new Policy on

HIV/AIDS. Chairman of the CBCI Commission for Health care

Archbishop Bernard Moras welcomed the gathering.

http://www.cbcisite.com/NU415.htm