Mumbai: Dinance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has laid special emphasis on the heath, women and welfare of backward classes and scheduled tribes in the annual budget for 2020-21. Sitharaman has made an allocation of Rs 69,000 crore for the health sector, Rs 28,600 crore for programmes which are specific to women, Rs 85,000 crore for Scheduled Castes and Other Backward Classes, Rs 53,700 crore for Scheduled Tribes and the enhanced allocation of Rs 9,500 crore for Senior citizens and Divyangjan.
FM said the government will expand Mission Indradhanush and add more hospitals to Ayushman Bharat. The government will expand Jan Aushadhi Kendras in all districts of country to provide medicines at affordable rates. A medical college will be attached to each district hospital in PPP mode. Viability gap funding will be provided for setting up such medical colleges.
Dr Raajiv Singhal, Group CEO of Care Hospitals said he welcomes FM's emphasis on healthcare as a key agenda, and acknowledging the need to expand healthcare delivery beyond the metros and cities to Tier 2 and 3 towns. While the outlay for healthcare has been increased from Rs 62659 crore last year to Rs 69000 crore, India still have a long way to cover to achieve at least 2.5% of the GDP on healthcare spend.
''A business conducive light touch policy and regulatory environment will play a crucial role in encouraging private healthcare establishments to actively be a part of this ambitious Ayushman Bharat Scheme. The Finance Minister should also consider bringing all different healthcare related schemes under this one umbrella Ayushman Bharat Scheme in order to encourage more private participation, including the big chain multi-speciality tertiary hospitals,'' said Dr Singhal.
Further, Sitharaman has proposed an allocation of Rs 35,600 crore outlay for nutrition-related programmes in 2020-21. Over 6 lakh anganwadi workers have been equipped with smartphones to upload the nutrition status of 10 crore households.
