India putting curbs on foreign health consultants

New Delhi

EXPRESSING concern about foreign influence on its policies, India is turning away from a decades-old practice of filling gaps within its health system with consultants hired by foreign aid agencies and non-governmental organisations.

Under the new rules, consultants who have worked within India's health system for foreign aid agencies for more than three years, a total of around 100 people, will be dismissed, said Manoj Jhalani, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Health. The roughly 100 who remain will need to be approved by a new screening committee.