Govt to revive closed public sector vaccine manufacturing units

The government would revive the vaccine producing institutes in the public sector to support the immunisation programme and expand the health insurance scheme to cover all BPL families, President Pratibha Devisingh Patil said here today.

Significantly, three vaccine manufacturing institutes were closed by the previous Health Minister A Ramadoss on the ground that they did not follow the international safety norms.

In her address to Parliament, the President said the National Rural Health Mission would be consolidated to make the perceptible reduction in infant mortality and maternal mortality in the next five years.

''My governemnt will expand the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna to cover all families below the poverty lines in the next five years,'' the President said.

Pointing out that malnutrition has emerged as a major health challenge needing urgent response, the President said nutrition delivery programme will be comprehensively revamped to bring it under the watch of Panchayat institutions and move to provision of hot cooked meals in Anganwadis.