New Delhi:
India's health allocation has been hiked by 14 percent in the
budget for 2012-13 to Rs.30,702 crore (Rs.307 billion/$6.1
billion) for the sector with special focus on cheaper life saving
drugs and better health facilities for the rural and urban poor.
Presenting his seventh budget, Mukherjee proposed to extend
concessional basic customs duty of five percent with full
exemption from excise duty and anti-subsidy duty to six specified
life saving drugs and vaccines used for the treatment or
prevention of ailments such as HIV/AIDS and renal cancer.
Last year's allocation to the sector was Rs.26,897 crore (Rs.268
billion/$5.3 billion).
The budget for 2012-13 also focused on better health services to
the poor in rural as well as urban slums, increasing the outlay of
the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and launching the
National Urban Health Mission.
The government hiked by nearly 15 percent the budget for NRHM with
an outlay of Rs.20,822 crore (Rs.208 billion/$4.1 billion).
"I propose to increase the allocation to NRHM from Rs.18,115
(Rs.181 billion/$3.6 billioncrore in 2011-12 to Rs.20,822 (Rs.208
billion/$4.1 billion) crore in 2012-13," he said.
The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) flagship
programme was launched in 2005 and aims to provide quality
healthcare to villagers in 18 states which has weak public health
infrastructure.
It is being implemented by a network of nearly 800,000 Accredited
Social Health Activists (ASHAs).
"The scope of ASHA's activities is being enlarged to include
prevention of Iodine Deficiency Disorders, ensure 100 percent
immunisation and better spacing of children," he said.
"At the community level, a more active role is envisaged for ASHA
as the convenor of the village health and sanitation committee, as
also to support the initiative on malnutrition. Since ASHAs
receive activity-wise, performance-based payments, this will also
enhance their remuneration," he added.
To target the urban poor, the government also launched the
National Urban Health Mission, which aims to provide basic primary
health needs of the people who live in shanties in cities.
Aiming to reach out to people living in the remotest part of the
country, the government has already started upgrading the existing
hospitals and establishing new hospitals.
This has been done under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha
Yojana (PMSSY).
Under this scheme, the government had aimed at setting up eight
All India Institute of Medical Sciences-like institutions and
upgradation of existing government medical colleges.
"It will enhance the availability of affordable tertiary health
care," he said.
Mukherjee also lauded the government's efforts to virtually
eradicate polio.
"They say persistence pays. I am happy to inform honurable members
that no new case of polio was reported in the last one year," he
said.
"By modernising existing units and setting up a new integrated
vaccine unit near Chennai, the government will achieve vaccine
security and keep the pressure on disease eradication and
prevention," he added.
Aiming to fill the human resource gap, the highest allocation of
Rs.4,182.38 crore (Rs.41 billion/$816 million) has been given to
medical education, training and research. According to the
Planning Commission, India faces a shortage of about 600,000
doctors, one million nurses, 200,000 dental surgeons and a large
number of paramedical staff.
Expenditure on public health saw an increase with the government
allocating Rs. Rs. 2,876 crore (Rs.28 billion/$557 million)to
tackle vector control diseases, mental health, TB, blindness and
leprosy.
In the previous budget, it was Rs. Rs.2,160.42 crore (Rs.21
billion/$418 million).
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