It is a dream Budget for the Health sector.
Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac created history of sorts on Friday when he announced in the Budget the largest post creation to have ever happened in the State’s Health sector in ages.
It was an acknowledgement of how crucial human resource is in the health sector if quality health-care delivery is to be provided to people through public sector hospitals.
A total of 8,071 posts, including doctors, nurses and paramedical staff will be created in the Health Services and the Medical Education sectors together in the next three years.
The public health sector gets a total allocation of ₹2,500 crore, including ₹470 crore for the Medical Education sector and ₹724 crore for the Health Services, which includes the State share for the National Health Mission.
It is Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board to the rescue of the health sector too.
An amount of ₹2,000 crore has been newly set aside for improving the facilities in district, taluk and general hospitals. Through the KIIFB, ₹400 crore will be invested for the first phase of the master plan for the development of Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College.
Of the 5,257 posts which would be newly created in the public health sector, 1,309 posts would be of doctors and 1,610 posts of staff nurses. In the Medical Education sector, 4,183 new posts are being created, including that of 49 faculty, 2,874 posts of staff nurses and 1,260 posts of para medical staff.
One-third of these posts will be created this year itself, while the remaining posts would be created in the next three years. The Budget focusses on providing free and universal healthcare for all citizens through comprehensive preventive and primary care and enhancing secondary and tertiary care facilities.
By providing free and subsidised medicines for all, especially for non-communicable diseases like diabetes and hypertension, through primary health centres and sub-centres, Dr. Isaac has aimed at reducing the huge out-of-pocket expenditure on health incurred by the public.
Dr. Isaac also reiterated that all existing insurance schemes as well as health assistance schemes of the Government, including Karunya will continue. Kanurya Benevolent Fund has been provided a budgetary allocation of ₹350 crore.
