A two-day fifth health review meeting which has begun today will formulate plans and strengthen measures to improve the health care system in the Tibetan community.
DHARAMSHALA: The meeting is being attended by medical professionals from Delek Hospital, Mentsee Khang, staff of the Health Department, ten chief executive officers of the Tibetan hospitals and Ngoenga school for physically challenged children and five doctors from Tibetan settlements in different parts of India.

During this meeting medical professionals will make a comprehensive review of the past resolutions and its implementations.

The participants will hold intensive deliberation on how to improve and strengthen the medical system by adopting a holistic approach of both traditional Tibetan medicine and allopathy.

The meeting will work out plans to strengthen measures to combat diseases like tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, stomach ulcer, cancer, high blood pressure and drug addiction. It will devise programmes on how to educate the Tibetan people about precautionary methods and to maintain a sustainable healthy community.

Deliberations on mother and child care and health care programme for physically- and mentally-challenged persons are also on the agenda.

In his opening remarks, Health Kalon Chope Paljor Tsering called on all the concerned staff members and health workers to put enthusiasm in their efforts so as to ensure good results.

He particularly called on the staff working in the Tibetan community health centres to work with interest and sincerity without giving into complacency.

In his address, Mr Wangchuk Phasur, Secretary of the Health Department, said health is a very important factor for an individual and a society as a whole to fulfil any kind of ambition one holds in life. For this reason the health department is holding this meeting to discuss, exchange ideas and share knowledge and experiences, and work for further development of health condition of the Tibetan people.

He said health department is working well in making improvement in the health care as according to an NGO who went to a major Tibetan settlement in south India. The NGO told the department that the health of the Tibetans have improved well as compared to the earlier days and the Tibetan people living there have more knowledge of basic health education, Mr Phasur said. 

The first health review meeting was held in 1993.

Workshop on Tibetan Medicare System Programme

The staff members of the department of health attended a workshop yesterday on how to implement Tibetan Medicare System Programme to facilitate Tibetans living in exile with medical health insurance from 1 October 2011.

The Tibetan Medicare System Programme was first announced on 9 March 2011. The Tibetans can avail medical benefits of secondary and tertiary health care facilities under the medicare programme.

The health department will build a public and private partnership model to avail this medicare to Tibetans by a self-financing scheme, for which each family of five members can avail a maximum collective benefit of up to Rs. 1 Lakh on hospitalization expense per year for the annual household contribution of Rs. 3565 only. Individual medicare scheme will also be available. 

Although membership for Tibetan medicare system programme is voluntarily but the department of health will not entertain any applications for reimbursements of medical expenses from those who won't be registered for this programme from 1 October 2011.