UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — India Strengthens Regional Health Partnerships as First BIMSTEC Health Ministers’ Meeting Unanimously Adopts Joint Ministerial Statement in Colombo

Q1. With reference to the institutional design of BIMSTEC, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Not every member state of BIMSTEC has a coastline on the Bay of Bengal.
  2. Decisions in BIMSTEC are taken by majority vote of member states, so a single member can be outvoted on a proposal.
  3. BIMSTEC functioned for more than two decades before its Charter, the document that sets out its institutional framework, came into force.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q2. With reference to how sectoral leadership is divided within BIMSTEC, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. All the regional health Centres of Excellence under BIMSTEC are hosted by a single member state, which acts as the lead country for health.
  2. Because the areas of cooperation are grouped into as many pillars as there are member states, each member has a lead role in one pillar.
  3. Leading one pillar does not prevent a member state from hosting a regional centre in a sector that falls outside that pillar.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 3 only
  • D. 2 and 3 only

Q3. The Joint Ministerial Statement of the First BIMSTEC Health Ministers' Meeting places the One Health approach at the centre of regional health security. Consider the following measures and positions: Which of the above is/are consistent with the One Health approach?

  1. Linking veterinary disease surveillance with human disease surveillance, so that an outbreak detected in livestock alerts public health authorities early.
  2. Treating the merger of human, animal and environmental health functions into one ministry as a precondition for adopting the approach.
  3. Treating changes in ecosystems as outside the scope of the approach, since its concern is limited to the health of people and domestic animals.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 1 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1 and 2 only

Q4. With reference to the Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda (ITRA), Jamnagar, which will host the BIMSTEC Centre of Excellence in Traditional Medicine, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Its status as an Institution of National Importance was conferred by a law enacted by Parliament.
  2. Its status as an Institution of National Importance derives from the Host Country Agreement that India signed with the WHO for a traditional medicine centre at Jamnagar.
  3. It was formed by bringing together existing Ayurveda institutions at Jamnagar rather than being set up as a wholly new institute.
  • A. 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1 and 2 only

Q5. India offered components of its Universal Health Coverage architecture as a model to BIMSTEC members. With reference to these components, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission by itself pays hospitals for the treatment they provide to holders of a digital health ID.
  2. eSanjeevani enables patients to consult doctors remotely, without being physically present at the facility where the doctor is.
  3. PM-ABHIM's integrated public health laboratories are confined to medical colleges in metropolitan cities.
  4. PM-ABHIM builds public health laboratory networks and critical care capacity that also serve disease surveillance.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 4 only

Q6. A patient examined at an Ayushman Arogya Mandir is referred to a district hospital. There the doctor views the patient's earlier test results on screen, though the patient carries no paper file. Within India's Universal Health Coverage architecture, which component principally makes this possible?

  • A. ABDM, which links health records across providers through digital health IDs
  • B. PM-ABHIM, which builds district-level public health labs and critical care blocks
  • C. eSanjeevani, which lets patients consult doctors remotely over video links
  • D. AB PM-JAY, which gives eligible families cashless cover for hospital treatment

Q7. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. AB PM-JAY is designed to protect eligible families from large out-of-pocket spending on hospital admissions.
  2. Ayushman Arogya Mandirs deliver comprehensive primary health care through upgraded Sub Health Centres and Primary Health Centres.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q8. Consider the following assertion: The creation of a Health Ministers' track shows BIMSTEC moving from a loose grouping towards a structured regional organisation with sectoral mechanisms. Which of the statements given above support/supports the assertion?

  1. The track was created by a decision of the BIMSTEC Summit and is to meet at fixed intervals of two years.
  2. Its first meeting adopted a time-bound Plan of Action to carry out the political commitments made in the Joint Ministerial Statement.
  3. At the meeting, India and Sri Lanka exchanged a memorandum for more ambulances for Sri Lanka's emergency service.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 only
  • D. 1 and 2 only