‘This year’s budget once again left out key areas like overall healthcare spending, National Health Mission, Universal Health Coverage, health infrastructure and primary and secondary healthcare’
‘Social sector with healthcare’ is one of the nine pillars of the Union Budget 2016-17. This year’s budget has focused at few specific schemes like the National Dialysis Program and the Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Yojana. 2.2 lakh renal patients are added every year in India and the distribution of health facilities in the country is skewed. The proposed National Dialysis Program would make treatment more accessible. Likewise, 3,000 medical stores will be opened under Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Yojana to make quality medicine available.
But it is important that these schemes are executed and monitored such that the maximum benefit reaches to the patients who need them the most.
This year’s budget once again left out key areas like overall healthcare spending, National Health Mission, Universal Health Coverage, health infrastructure and primary and secondary healthcare.
The new health insurance schemes are a step to make healthcare affordable to the vulnerable sections.
Rs 1804 crores. have been allocated for skill development. We await the details if there are plans to boost skill development in the healthcare sector (trained medical technicians etc.). Another area of concern is the reduction of benefits of deductions for research from 150 per cent to 100 per cent from April 1, 2020. This may impact the funding for medical research.
Overall, the Union Budget 2016-17 could have done more in terms of greater public spending in healthcare to strengthen public healthcare and build infrastructure and manpower capacity to bridge the current gaps in the sector.