Announced this evening on ICMR website
https://main.icmr.nic.in/what-s-new
Public comments on National List of Essential Assistive Products
(NLEAP),
Last date *10th November, 2020 *(extended) Visit
https://nleap.icmr.org.in for draft document and comments.
[image: Nleap-Extension-10-Nov-2020.jpg]
Document : https://nleap.icmr.org.in/NLEAP.pdf
Comments : https://nleap.icmr.org.in
Extended Deadline : 10 November 2020
-----------------------------------------------
*Background : *
Policy & Regulations
Health ministry issues draft national list of essential assistive
products
Shardul Nautiyal, Mumbai
Saturday, October 3, 2020, 08:00 Hrs [IST]
The Union health ministry has released the draft National List of
Essential Assistive Products (NLEAP).
The list is aimed to provide assistive technologies (ATs) and devices for
elderly, persons with disabilities (PwDs), patients with non-communicable
diseases (NCDs) such as stroke, diabetes, congenital birth defect
associated disabilities and people in humanitarian crisis and disasters.
The ministry has invited suggestions and comments on the list from the
stakeholders by October 10, 2020.
Earlier, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) had initiated
steps
to prepare a list of assistive products on the pattern of WHO’s Priority
Assistive Products List (WHO-APL). A total of 383 assistive products
(APs)
have been included in the NLEAP through a consultative process. As India
already has a National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM), hence during
various Expert Group meetings by ICMR, it was agreed that the list may be
termed as NLEAP.
In January 2020, Director General (DG), ICMR, Balram Bhargava constituted
a National Expert Committee (NEC) under the leadership of Dr R K
Srivastava, Ex. DGHS, to assist in preparation of a list of assistive
products.
The NEC recommended creation of 4 sub-groups, each representing their
specialties like public health, physical medicine & rehabilitation (PMR),
geriatrics and engineering. Each of the specialties had one leader with
involvement of two more members.
These Sub-Groups were: public health specialists led by Dr Harshad
Thakur,
Director, National Institute of Health and Family Welfare (NIHFW),
physical
medicine and rehabilitation professionals led by Rajendra Sharma,
Consultant, Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Delhi, geriatric medicine
experts led by Dr A B Dey and engineering professionals led by Dr PVM
Rao,
IIT-Delhi.
Lead Expert of each sub-group was given liberty to include more members.
Dr Sanjiv Kumar, Ex. National Health Systems Resource Centre (NHSRC) ; Dr
Arvind Mathur, renowned geriatrician; Dr. S.L. Yadav, AIIMS; Dr.
Balakrishnan, IIT-Delhi; Dr Shipra Chaudhary, RML Hospital; Dr Shweta
Bhandari, and Dr Suman Badhal, Safdarjang Hospital; Dr Monika Saini, Dr
Rajni Bagga, Dr Manoj and Dr Niraj –NIHFW; contributed towards
finalisation
of the complete master list of assistive products. In addition to this
Prakash Bachani, Scientist, Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and Dr
Sangeeta Abrol, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare contributed by
providing BIS-ISO standards and health ministry perspectives. Each
sub-group met many times to discuss the assistive products from their
specialty angles.
During its meetings, NEC and Sub-Groups felt the need to go beyond simple
list to classify them age-wise (different requirements in different age
groups), disability-wise (21 disabilities as per RPwD Act 2016 or Visual,
Hearing, locomotor, Cognitive, Communication, Self-Care), system-wise
(Primary, Secondary or Tertiary Health Care Systems), cost-wise (Low,
Medium or High), provision-wise (Govt., Private, Insurance, Welfare,
NGO),
Indigenous vs. Imported (available in India or to be imported),BIS-ISO
Standards, and Technology-wise (Simple, complex, advanced including
softwares).
Current list was prepared after Expert Group consultations and referring
to Safdarjung list, CGHS list, ALIMCO list, Mobility India list, EU list,
BIS-ISO list, textbooks, and National Trust (with a network of more than
700 NGOs).
ICMR aims to deliberate, contribute and guide the way forward towards
building a National list of Essential Assistive Products (NLEAP) -India,
with focus on the principal themes of appropriateness, quality,
affordability, accessibility and standardization of ATs and strategies
for
strengthening and service provision.
By 2022, existing 1,50,000 Sub Centres and Primary Health Centres will be
converted to HWCs. Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment(MoSJE),
Government of India is the nodal agency for care of persons with
disabilities. An overarching legal provision in form of Rights of Persons
with Disabilities Act 2016 (RPwD Act, 2016) was enacted by MoSJE.
RPwD Act has clearly delineated the steps for provision of assistive
products. It directs every Ministry to develop their own systems for care
of PwDs. Health and healthcare has been mentioned more than 25 times in
the
said act.
Subsequently, Union health ministry has included the assistive products
under the list of health products vide notification dated February 11,
2020.
The Assistance to Disabled Persons for Purchase/Fitting of
Aids/Appliances
(ADIP) Scheme under MoSJE is providing ATs to the PwDs. It was conceived
in
1981 to provide “durable, sophisticated, scientifically manufactured
modern, standard aids and appliances” to disabled persons. Since that
period the ATs like sticks, walkers, spectacles, wheelchairs, tricycles,
smart cane, cochlear implants are being extended to the needy people. The
NLEAP will facilitate ADIP scheme to provide better products to those who
need them.
http://www.pharmabiz.com/NewsDetails.aspx?aid=131530&sid=1
