New Delhi, June 27 (IANS) The government will convene the 16th Conference of the Central Council of Health and Family Welfare (CCHFW) on Monday to deliberate on key policy priorities, including the National Health Mission (NHM), food and drug reforms and allied health services, according to an official statement on Saturday.

The conference that will be held here will be chaired by Union Health and Family Welfare Minister J.P. Nadda, along with Ministers of State for Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel and Prataprao Jadhav, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) said.

According to the ministry, the meeting aims to strengthen centre-state collaboration in the health sector through discussions on policy priorities, review of ongoing programmes, and identification of emerging challenges.

The thematic sessions this year will focus on the National Health Mission and Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)-linked priorities, food and drug reforms, and allied health services.

Moreover, the conference will provide a platform for states and union territories to share best practices and deliberate on a coordinated roadmap to improve health outcomes across the country.

Constituted under Article 263 of the Constitution, the Central Council of Health and Family Welfare is the apex advisory body of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

It reviews the implementation of policies and programmes related to medical and public health and recommends measures for their effective implementation in partnership with states and union territories.

The ministry said the conference serves as an important institutional mechanism for promoting cooperative federalism in the health sector by facilitating dialogue and policy consultations between the government and states on issues of national importance.

Apart from that, the MoHFW has proposed easing the residual shelf-life requirement for imported drugs by replacing the existing norm of more than 60 per cent remaining shelf life with a minimum shelf life of 12 months at the time of import on Friday.

–IANS

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