The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has said on Friday that there is an urgent need to redesign and reform the healthcare sector.

The commission held a meeting of health secretaries of states on Friday. The meeting focused on illegal medical practices and healthcare facilities in tribal areas

He said that inequalities in the systems must be minimized and healthcare must be accessible to all. He outlined a need for a primary healthcare movement to promote heath care as a human right.

NHRC member P. C. Sharma said "There is a paradoxical situation in India. On one side, we have super specialty medical centres which cater to the needs of patients requiring specialised and speedy treatment and on the other hand, a very large number of our population remains deprived of basic medical facilities and healthcare."

Experts in the meeting said that the right to health care is not just providing access and building hospitals but it includes various factors like freedom from non-consensual medical treatment, safe food, safe drinking water, adequate sanitation, health related education and gender equality.

Some experts also demanded the creation of a national database of medical practitioners. The lack of data needs to be addressed by the government. Spurious drugs and its distribution is another area of concern for the healthcare sector in the country.

In another development, the Union Health Ministry is planning to launch a three and half year duration's 'Bachelor of Rural Medicine and Surgery' (BRMS) course in order to raise a dedicated corps of medical practitioners who would provide services in rural areas.