The Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry has pitched for an increase in its budgetary allocation, citing plans to strengthen the delivery of existing schemes and roll out ambitious programmes such as the universal health assurance mission to provide a certain quantum of drugs and diagnostics free.
The Ministry has sought Rs. 50,000 crore as budgetary allocation, saying its record of spending funds has improved over the years and there is demand for expanding the bouquet of its services. Though the government is being pressured to increase the allocation from just over one per cent of the GDP, a big jump is unlikely.
The 12th Five Year Plan proposed Rs. 1.9 lakh crore for the health sector, but in the first three years, the sector received only Rs. 55,000 crore.
Ministry officials said they needed at least a 10-15 per cent increase from last year’s Budget estimate of Rs. 30,000 crore to strengthen schemes such as the National Rural Health Mission, the Janani-Shishu Suraksha Karyakram and the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram, strengthen district hospitals and distribute drugs and diagnostics free.
