The policy directives and provision in the Union Budget, including promotion of private health insurance, were strongly biased in favour of the rich, while the poor was left without much choice for healthcare, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) said in a statement here on Monday.
Making primary health care completely free was the only way to improve the health scenario, IMA president A. Marathanda Pillai and secretary K.K. Aggarwal said in the statement.
Though the allocation for improving the social determinants of health such as sanitation, water supply and the welfare of women and children had gone up, the total budgetary allocation for the health sector had taken a dip by 5.7 per cent, the IMA said.
The budget had not made any provision for making drugs available at lower rates to people, the IMA statement said.
