New Delhi: Pointing to stark inequalities in Indian health care, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Friday called for an urgent need to redesign and reform the sector.

"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 health care," said NHRC member P.C. Sharma.

The NHRC recently held a consultation meeting of health secretaries of states on illegal medical practices and health care facilities in tribal areas.

"Professionals and stakeholders have to minimise these poignant inequalities in health care and make it accessible to one and all. There is a need to promote health as a human right by launching a primary health care movement," he said.

Experts at the meet opined that key aspects of the right to health are not just access to health care and building hospitals.

"It extends further and includes a wide range of factors like freedom from non-consensual medical treatment, safe food, safe drinking water, adequate sanitation, health related education and gender equality," said NHRC's acting chairperson G.P. Mathur.

The human rights body emphasised the need for preparing a national database of medical practitioners.

"Non-availability of national data of registered medical practitioners is another issue, which needs attention from the concerned authorities," said Mathur.

Production and distribution of spurious drugs in the country was another area of concern for members participating in the meet. IANS