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6.6 Recommendations 1. The central and state governments should commit themselves to a high-quality, universal health care system by 2017. The principle for access to health services should be “coverage for all, not coverage of everything�. Specific benchmarks should be: a) Raising the budget allocation to health by an additional 1.2% GDP, to cover the initial Entitlement Package and costs of modernising the health system; b) Delivering the initial Entitlement Package without delay, including ensuring that every child in India has access to the same lifesaving vaccines as other children worldwide; and that every mother has access to 24-hour, high-quality, well-staffed birthing centres in her district; c) Extending the Entitlement Package by 2017 to 4% of GDP and to include a wider range of cost-effective and appropriate clinical services, for example, essential surgery and cancer treatments; and d) Allowing services to be delivered through either public or private providers that meet the stringent quality standards set as a result of Recommendation 2. 2. The central government should strengthen enforcement by 2012 of national regulatory frameworks for health services, based on the Indian Public Health Standards and World Health Organization norms. Included in these frameworks would be minimum standards of quality of treatment and care; and quality control on pharmaceuticals and all other health care products. Providers whose services or products do not meet the quality standards by this deadline should be closed. 3. The central government should invest now in robust and publiclyaccountable epidemiological and reporting systems, plus a management information system that would monitor performance for each district on key health outcomes. For certain health outcomes, such as maternal deaths, every event should be reviewed by the office of the Chief Minister