Daily Current Affairs 06th April 2020 iasshiksha.com/daily-current-affair/daily-current-affairs-06th-april-2020/
Today’s Important Topic’s For UPSC Preparation 1. TESTS, TREATMENT FREE UNDER AYUSHMAN BHARAT. 2. LOOK INTO ISSUE OF PAROLE FOR PSA CASES: J&K HC. 3. INDIA BANS EXPORT OF HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE. 4. PENCH TIGER DEATH RAISES COVID FEARS. 5. NEWYORK ZOO TIGER TESTS POSITIVE FOR VIRUS.
TESTS, TREATMENT FREE UNDER AYUSHMAN BHARAT Ayushman Bharat Scheme: The Ayushman Bharat Scheme was launched in 2018 to address health issues at all levels – primary, secondary and tertiary. It has two components: 1. Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), earlier known as the National Health Protection Scheme (NHPS) 2. Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) Ayushman Bharat is National Health Protection Scheme, which will cover over 10 crore poor and vulnerable families (approximately 50 crore beneficiaries). Providing coverage upto 5 lakh rupees per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization. Ayushman Bharat – National Health Protection Mission will subsume the on-going centrally sponsored schemes – Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) and The Senior Citizen Health Insurance Scheme (SCHIS).
Salient Features: Benefits of the scheme are portable across the country and a beneficiary covered under the scheme will be allowed to take cashless benefits from any public/private empanelled hospitals across the country. The beneficiaries can avail benefits in both public and empanelled private facilities. To control costs, the payments for treatment will be done on package rate (to be defined by the Government in advance) basis.
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One of the core principles of Ayushman Bharat – National Health Protection Mission is to co-operative federalism and flexibility to states. For giving policy directions and fostering coordination between Centre and States, it is proposed to set up Ayushman Bharat National Health Protection Mission Council (AB-NHPMC) at apex level Chaired by Union Health and Family Welfare Minister. States would need to have State Health Agency (SHA) to implement the scheme. To ensure that the funds reach SHA on time, the transfer of funds from Central Government through Ayushman Bharat – National Health Protection Mission to State Health Agencies may be done through an escrow account directly. In partnership with NITI Aayog, a robust, modular, scalable and interoperable IT platform will be made operational which will entail a paperless, cashless transaction.
Major Impact:
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Ayushman Bharat – National Health Protection Mission will have major impact on reduction of Out of Pocket (OOP) expenditure on ground of: 1. Increased benefit cover to nearly 40% of the population, (the poorest & the vulnerable) 2. Covering almost all secondary and many tertiary hospitalizations. (except a negative list) 3. Coverage of 5 lakh for each family, (no restriction of family size) This will lead to increased access to quality health and medication. In addition, the unmet needs of the population which remained hidden due to lack of financial resources will be catered to.
STATES/DISTRICTS COVERED:
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Ayushman Bharat – National Health Protection Mission will be rolled out across all States/UTs in all districts with an objective to cover all the targeted beneficiaries.
Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY): It was launched as the National Health Protection Mission and renamed later. It is the largest government-funded health insurance scheme in the world. The scheme offers eligible families an insurance cover of Rs. 5 lakh per annum per family. This amount is intended to cover all secondary and most tertiary care expenditure incurred. There is no cap on family size and age under the scheme, to ensure that nobody is left behind. The cover will include pre and post hospitalisation expenses. It will also cover all pre-existing conditions.
3 days of pre-hospitalisation and 15 days of post-hospitalisation like medicines and diagnostics are covered. Components of treatment covered under the scheme: Medical examination, consultation and treatment Medical consumables and medicines Intensive and non-intensive care services Medical implant services Lab and diagnostic investigations Complications arising out of treatment Accommodation benefits and food services The beneficiary will also receive a defined transport allowance per hospital.
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Why in News? The Central government has decided to provide free testing and treatment of COVID-19 under the Ayushman Bharat Scheme. This, it notes, will help more than 50 crore Ayushman beneficiaries to get free testing and treatment in designated private hospitals across India. Confirming this, Indu Bhushan, CEO of Ayushman Bharat, said this would allow beneficiaries to get timely and standard treatment. Giving details, Dr. Bhushan said: “The empanelled hospitals can use their own authorised testing facilities or tie up with an authorised testing facility for the scheme. These tests would be carried out as per the protocol set by Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) and by private labs approved/registered by the ICMR. Similarly, treatment of COVID-19 by private hospitals will be covered under ABPMJAY.”
Private Sector: Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said that “in this unprecedented crisis we have to very actively involve the private sector as a key partner and stakeholder in the fight against COVID-19. Making testing and treatment available under Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY will significantly expand our capacities by including private sector hospitals and labs and mitigate the adverse impact of this catastrophic illness on the poor. He added that States were in the process of enlisting private sector hospitals that could be converted into COVID-19 only hospitals.
LOOK INTO ISSUE OF PAROLE FOR PSA CASES: J&K HC The J&K High Court has asked the High Powered Committee (HPC), convened to de-congest jails by releasing prisoners on parole in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, to examine the allegations that no detainee booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA) was being considered for any parole. Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Rajnesh Oswal passed these orders on Saturday while hearing a Public Interest Litigation on the COVID-19 outbreak and the response given by the J&K administration. “Let the rules be urgently implemented and steps for grant of special parole to prisoners as is envisaged therein be taken on priority,” observed the division Bench. The direction came after advocate Pirzada informed the court that the HPC has overlooked the aspect of detenus who have been detained under the PSA. “The order of the Supreme Court makes a reference only to prisoners without specifying the provision of law under which they may have been imprisoned.”
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In his letter, Mr. Pirzada said, “There were indications that there was vulnerability [of catching the virus] in jails in the context of health, hygiene and sanitation. There is a sizeable number of detainees detained under the PSA and are equally exposed to the hazards of the viral disease in J&K and outside jails.”
Public Safety Act: The Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act, 1978(PSA) is a preventive detention law under which a person is taken into custody to prevent them from acting harmfully against “the security of the state or the maintenance of the public order” in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir (now a union territory). The Public Safety Act, 1978 of Jammu and Kashmir is a defensive detention law that allows taking a person into custody to prevent him or her from acting in any matter that is prejudicial to “the security of the state or the maintenance of the public order”. Under the act, a person can be held for 2 years without trial and they need not be produced before a court. A similar act called the National Security Act (NSA) is used by the other state governments for preventive detention. Any person can be booked under PSA when an administrative order passed either by Divisional Commissioner (DC) or the District Magistrate (DM). Any detention under this act can’t be made under the order by police based on specific allegations or for a specific violation of laws.
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What happens after detention under PSA? The District Magistrate (DM) communicates to the person within five days and informs him about the reason for the detention in writing. However, DM has a right to communicate within 10 days in exceptional cases. It is important because on the basis on that communication a detained person can make a representation against the order. However, District Magistrate has powers to not to disclose all the facts on the basis of the detention is ordered.
Constitutional safeguards to a detained person: According to Article 22 (a) of the constitution, no person who is arrested will be detained in the custody without being informed. He will be communicated until he shall be denied the right to consult and to be defended by a legal practitioner of his choice.
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A person detained under the PSA shall be produced before the nearest magistrate within a period of 24 hours (article 22-b). However, Article 22(3) (b) allows for preventive detention and restriction on personal liberty for reasons of state security and public order.
Types of Detention: Punitive detention: It is a punishment for illegal acts done. Preventive detention: It is imprisonment of a person beforehand to prevent possible commitment of crime. Preventive detention thus is action taken on grounds of suspicion that some wrong actions may be done by the person concerned.
What are grounds for Preventive detention? It can be made only on four grounds which are as follows – 1. 2. 3. 4.
security of state, maintenance of public order, maintenance of supplies and essential services and defence, foreign affairs or security of India.
INDIA BANS EXPORT OF HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE Hydroxychloroquine: 9/16
Hydroxychloroquine is in a class of drugs called antimalarials. It is used to prevent and treat acute attacks of malaria. It is also used to treat discoid or systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis in patients whose symptoms have not improved with other treatments.
Chloroquine: Chloroquine is used to treat malaria, as well as in chemoprophylaxis, which is the administering of drugs to prevent the development of disease. Since 2006, it has not been recommended for use in severe malaria because of problems with resistance, particularly in the Oceania region, according to the World Health Organization. WHOincludes it on its list of “essential medicines,” meaning it should be kept affordable and accessible at all times. According to the Swiss-registered organization, Medicines for Malaria Venture, chloroquine is a derivative of quinine, which French chemists in 1820 isolated from the bark of the cinchona treefound in South America, employing it as a treatment for fevers. Hydroxychloroquine is what’s known as an analog of chloroquine, meaning the two have similar structures but different chemical and biological properties. The former is considered the less toxic derivative, according to studies.
Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquinehave in vitro activity against SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2, and other coronaviruses, with hydroxychloroquine having higher potency against SARS-CoV-2. The National Taskforcefor COVID-19 has recommended hydroxychloroquine for prophylaxis in case of asymptomatic healthcare workers involved in the care of suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 and asymptomatic household contacts of laboratory confirmed cases.
Why in News? 10/16
India has changed its official policy and prohibited export of hydroxychloroquine, a drug that has uses in the treatment of COVID-19, hours before U.S. President Donald Trump urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to release the quantity of the drug that the U.S. had ordered. The Directorate-General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) had prohibited the export of the drug on March 25. But it left the option of export open to fulfil “export obligation” and on “humanitarian grounds”. On April 4, the DGFT issued a new notification, ending the exception mentioned in the previous order. As a result, India will not export hydroxychloroquine even “against full advance payment”. “The export of hydroxychloroquine and formulations made from hydroxychloroquine, therefore, shall remain prohibited, without any exception,” said the notification issued by the DGFT on Saturday. The Ministry of External Affairs did not respond to questions on the sudden change in the policy.
PENCH TIGER DEATH RAISES COVID FEARS The spectre of COVID-19 has made its appearance in one of India’s most storied tiger reserves. The death of a 10-year-old ailing male tiger, in the Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR) — the country’s most munificent reserve —that succumbed to a ‘respiratory illness’. But a report of a confirmed COVID-19 infection in a tiger at the Bronx Zoo, in New York,U.S. United States and advisories by divisions of the Environment Ministry that deal with the protection of the cats in zoos, as well as in Tiger Reserves has officials in the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)— the organisation that manages the protection of India’s 3,000-odd tigers — puzzling on whether the tiger should be tested for the novel coronavirus disease. research college in Jabalpur The people who handled the dead tiger and were involved in its post-mortem would be tested for the infection. The viscera samples collected as part of the standard protocol have been preserved and will be sent to the veterinary as well as the Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh.
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The 10-year-old male tiger succumbed to a ‘respiratory illness’ last Saturday.
Pench Tiger Reserve: Pench Tiger Reserveor Pench National Park is one of the premier tiger reserves of India. The first one to straddle across two states – Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. Ordinarily, the reference to Pench is mostly to the tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh (M.P).
NEWYORK ZOO TIGER TESTS POSITIVE FOR VIRUS 12/16
A tiger at New Yorks Bronx Zoo has tested positive for COVID-19, the institution said Sunday, and is believed to have contracted the virus from a caretaker who was asymptomatic at the time. The four-year-old Malayan tiger named Nadia along with her sister Azul, two Amur tigers and three African lions all developed dry coughs and are expected to fully recover. It is not known how this disease will develop in big cats since different species can react differently to novel infections, but we will continue to monitor them closely and anticipate full recoveries.
All Zoos Closed: All four of the zoos and the aquarium in New York — where the virus death toll has topped 4,000 — have been closed since March 16. The zoo emphasised that there is “no evidence that animals play a role in the transmission of COVID-19 to people other than the initial event in the Wuhan market. No evidence that any person has been infected with COVID-19 in the U.S. by animals, including by pet dogs or cats. Chinese disease control officials have previously identified wild animals sold in a Wuhan market as the source of the pandemic that has infected well over one million people worldwide. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture website, there had “not been reports of pets or other animals” in the U.S. falling ill with COVID-19 prior to news of tiger Nadia. It is still recommended that people sick with COVID-19 limit contact with animals until more information is known about the virus. In late March, a pet cat was discovered infected with the virus in Belgium, following similar cases in Hong Kong where two dogs tested positive. All of those animals are believed to have contracted the virus from the people they live with. The Bronx zoo said preventative measures were in place for caretakers as well as all cats. Sarah Caddy, veterinarian and clinical research fellow at the University of Cambridge, said that since domestic cats had been shown to be potentially susceptible to the virus, the tiger becoming infected was “not wholly unexpected”.
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Humans to cats: The New York-based Bronx Zoo where Nadia (right) the Malayan tiger, tested positive.
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Bronx Zoo
WORDS OF THE DAY Parole: The temporary or permanent release of a prisoner before the expiry of a sentence, on the promise of good behaviour.
Empaneled: To empanel is to select a group of people for a jury. If you’re empaneled, you’re part of a jury. … When you’re added to a jury, you’re empaneled. This is an oldfashioned word that comes from an older sense of panel, which was the paper on which names of jury members were written. 15/16
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