Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee today sought assistance from private sector and non-government organisations “in a big way” for implementing the right to health.
“We cannot do it alone. Joint collaboration is the need of the hour,” Mr. Mukherjee said after inaugurating a 500-bed hospital on the outskirts of the city.
“It is not enough just to frame laws. We have to ensure that the maximum number of people derive the benefits,” he said.
The country, he said, was lagging behind developed and even many developing nations as far as government allocation in health was concerned.
“Ideally, we should spend 6 per cent and 4 per cent of our national income for education and health respectively. Considering the present national income figures, the total expenditure on these two sectors should have been Rs. 6.9 lakh crore,” he said.
Though the government was unable to allocate the sum during the ongoing 11th plan period, it was planning to allocate more funds in the next plan, Mr. Mukherjee added.
