Fight for the finite: On budgetary allocation for health
4 years, 9 months ago

Fight for the finite: On budgetary allocation for health

The Hindu  

It is an incontrovertible truth that material resources are finite. With the number of SARS-CoV-2 positive cases on the rise, and the number of deaths going up as well, the question is whether national and state health systems will be able to cope with ever-rising demands — for testing kits, for hospital beds, ventilators, why, even masks and hand sanitisers. At a time when the disease did not have a name, and much less by way of character, in mainland China, the rapidly climbing numbers went far beyond the capacity of the country’s renowned industry, and the health systems struggled to cope. As per the National Health Profile, 2019, collated by the Central Bureau of Health Intelligence unit of the Directorate General of Health Services, there has been no significant change in health-care expenditure since 2009-2010. While questioning whether these incremental efforts are sufficient, one needs to factor in the substantial skew in different States in terms of public sector health infrastructure and wherewithal.

Health India Terms Went  demand  gdp  fight  public  allocation  expenditure  budgetary  health  finite  systems  india  resources  terms  went

History of this topic

Doctors urge govt. to allocate more funds to health sector
9 hours, 59 minutes ago

Doctors urge govt. to allocate more funds to health sector

The Hindu  

Medical professionals on Thursday urged the government to urgently strengthen primary health centres, community health centres and district health centres in the State. Health Budget-2025’, organised by Praja Aarogya Vedika at MBVK Bhavan in Vijayawada, doctors discussed the importance of raising the allocation for the health sector in the upcoming Budget. Some of their demands include attention to preventive healthcare; …

The challenge of universal health coverage
3 weeks, 2 days ago

The challenge of universal health coverage

The Hindu  

The ongoing national conversation on what India needs to do for universal health coverage often misses the complexity of multiple health systems and the unique challenges they bring. Not the solution Government health expenditure in West Bengal, which was ₹1,346 per capita in 2019-20, is only about 61% of the estimated ₹2,205 required to offer UHC. The story is no …

India’s GDP growth shocker: Bad news can be good too
1 month ago

India’s GDP growth shocker: Bad news can be good too

Live Mint  

India’s growth in gross domestic product of 5.4% in the three months ended 30 September, or the second quarter of 2024-25, was a shocker. It’s the lowest level seen since the third quarter of 2022-23 and a sharp drop from 8.1% growth in the same period last year and also from 6.7% in the first quarter of 2024-25. Given the …

India Needs to Spend More on Healthcare Says Ex-RBI Gov
1 month, 3 weeks ago

India Needs to Spend More on Healthcare Says Ex-RBI Gov

Deccan Chronicle  

Mumbai: India needs to urgently increase its spending on healthcare and education for accelerating the country’s progress, former Reserve Bank of India governor C Rangarajan said on Friday. He said that India’s healthcare expenditure is currently less than 2 per cent of its GDP, and the government must urgently increase it. Speaking at the ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education, Rangarajan …

Kerala spends highest out-of-pocket expenditure on health in India
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Kerala spends highest out-of-pocket expenditure on health in India

New Indian Express  

KOCHI: Increased incidence of lifestyle diseases and high cost of diagnostic tests, coupled with the disappearance of not-for-profit hospitals and people’s reluctance to opt for government medical institutions have pushed Kerala’s out-of-pocket expenses in healthcare to the highest among states, a recent survey has revealed. As per the Comprehensive Annual Modular Survey 2022-23 by the National Sample Survey Office under …

PM Modi Launches Health Cover Plan for Senior Citizens, Hits Out at Delhi and West Bengal Governments
2 months, 1 week ago

PM Modi Launches Health Cover Plan for Senior Citizens, Hits Out at Delhi and West Bengal Governments

Hindustan Times  

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched a health cover plan for citizens aged 70 and above under the government's flagship Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY). The scheme will provide health coverage to all eligible senior citizens regardless of their income. Modi highlighted that the scheme was a blessing for every person associated with it, be it a …

Evolution of the health care policy framework in India
4 months ago

Evolution of the health care policy framework in India

Hindustan Times  

This paper traces the history of the evolution of India’s health care policy framework, focusing on its major objectives, challenges faced, and outcomes emerged. The key themes prevalent across most of these policies and specific initiatives included: increasing public health spending and reducing out-of-pocket or catastrophic health spending; addressing rural-urban inequalities in healthcare; developing primary health care; and achieving universal …

The burden of health care on India’s poorest
4 months, 4 weeks ago

The burden of health care on India’s poorest

Hindustan Times  

In recent years, the Indian government has made significant strides in reducing the burden of health expenditure on the common citizen. A particular focus of the government has been to reduce the burden of severe economic shocks due to “catastrophic” health care expenditure such as hospitalisation. In order to understand the character of catastrophic health expenditure, Artha Global’s Centre for …

A Budget that places health on the margins
5 months, 2 weeks ago

A Budget that places health on the margins

The Hindu  

With the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic behind us, the Union Budget expectedly shifted focus to levers of economic growth such as infrastructure and employment. It was also hoped that the recognition of population health as a vital investment for accelerating as well as protecting economic growth would see continued investment in strengthening our health systems. In the Interim Budget, …

Economic Survey 2023-24: Obesity crisis in India, preventive measures needed
5 months, 2 weeks ago

Economic Survey 2023-24: Obesity crisis in India, preventive measures needed

The Hindu  

The Economic Survey of India 2023-24, tabled by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in both houses of Parliament on Monday, July 22, the first day of the Budget Session, has pointed out that improving the quality of health of India’s young population, is crucial. The ICMR had released 17 dietary guidelines, and had said, “a significant proportion of premature deaths …

Rise in public health spending due to States, not Centre
7 months, 2 weeks ago

Rise in public health spending due to States, not Centre

The Hindu  

Public spending on health in India has historically remained low. Note: Union government spending includes spending by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Min of AYUSH Furthermore, a significant part of the increase in health investment as a percentage of GDP during the pandemic needs to be attributed to the negative and low growth of GDP, while absolute increase …

What lies in Kejriwal's Budget?
11 months ago

What lies in Kejriwal's Budget?

New Indian Express  

As the Delhi government gears up to present its budget for the fiscal year 2024-25 in February, expectations are running high among the residents. Residents are hoping for increased funding for hospitals, clinics, and medical facilities, as well as initiatives to strengthen the public healthcare system and improve access to healthcare for all sections of society. However, the department made …

Union Budget: Healthcare challenges and how the government can navigate them
11 months, 1 week ago

Union Budget: Healthcare challenges and how the government can navigate them

Firstpost  

The healthcare industry has always been the core of any flourishing civilisation. Modern medical challenges Public expenditure on healthcare contributes to only 1.3 per cent of GDP, resulting in compromised healthcare standards. As per some projections, AI utilisation in healthcare resource optimisation could contribute $25 billion to India’s GDP by 2025. Role of government in shaping healthcare The government must …

State’s budgetary allocation for public health on the decline in last three years
1 year, 2 months ago

State’s budgetary allocation for public health on the decline in last three years

Hindustan Times  

While chief minister Eknath Shinde is talking about doubling the expenditure on public health, an analysis of the last three budgets has revealed that the allocation has been on a downward spiral - from 5.09% in 2021-22 to 4.01% in the current financial year. As per a presentation made at the meeting, the government spending on health infrastructure has gone …

Out-of-pocket health expenditure in India: Inter-state variations
1 year, 4 months ago

Out-of-pocket health expenditure in India: Inter-state variations

Hindustan Times  

Adequate public investment in health, by ensuring better affordability and availability of health care, is crucial for sustaining a resilient public health system. Chart 2 In five states, high public health spending is related to low OOPE, while in four states, low public health spending is related to high OOPE. In eight states, low public health spending is related to …

Centre mandated spending on health has positive impact: study
1 year, 5 months ago

Centre mandated spending on health has positive impact: study

The Hindu  

Measures taken by the National Health Mission have given a positive fillip to the health sector across the country in the past 15 years, a study published in the Public Health For All journal has concluded. The States received funding only if they complied with the Central Government’s schemes, and States were nudged to enhance investment in primary health care. …

Average household spending rose 3.5% from August 2023 to July 2024, shows govt. survey
1 year, 5 months ago

Average household spending rose 3.5% from August 2023 to July 2024, shows govt. survey

The Hindu  

India’s average household consumption spending on a per capita basis rose about 3.5% in real terms through August 2023 to July 2024 from a year ago, as per the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey, and the Centre asserted this signals a decline in consumption inequality as well as a narrowing gap between urban and rural spends. In real terms, the average …

More than 90 million Indians spend ‘catastrophic’ 10-25% of household expenses on healthcare
1 year, 6 months ago

More than 90 million Indians spend ‘catastrophic’ 10-25% of household expenses on healthcare

Hindustan Times  

Healthcare expenditure of around 90 million Indians has crossed the ‘catastrophic’ levels – a state of financial condition where health spending exceeds 10% threshold of household consumption, posing a threat to maintain the subsistence needs. According to the Sustainable Development Goals National Indicator Framework Progress Report 2023, a total of 31 million people living in families spend more that a …

Health Matters | How much money is too much money for vaccines?
1 year, 6 months ago

Health Matters | How much money is too much money for vaccines?

The Hindu  

Ultimately affordability decides entitlement. There is also sufficient evidence to back the common knowledge that India has a high burden of out-of-pocket expenditure for health care, meaning payment for health services is made by the patients themselves. Back to pricing, it is also why the low-cost DNA test to detect cervical cancer within 45 minutes comes as good news, specifically …

What you can do to reduce your out-of-pocket-expenditure on healthcare
1 year, 7 months ago

What you can do to reduce your out-of-pocket-expenditure on healthcare

Live Mint  

The young advertising executive was on his way home from office when he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. First, the hospital where he was admitted said that he had to immediately pay ₹50,000 towards admission—It informed him that he was not eligible for cashless admission since the hospital was not part of the insurer’s network. While people with …

Data | India’s Cancer Crisis: Rising Prevalence of the Most Expensive Disease to Treat
1 year, 9 months ago

Data | India’s Cancer Crisis: Rising Prevalence of the Most Expensive Disease to Treat

The Hindu  

On March 14, the Minister of State for Health said cancer cases in India will cross the 15 lakh mark by 2025. A Parliamentary Standing Committee report on cancer, released in September 2022, expressed concern about the “inaccessible and increasing cost of cancer treatment.” For instance, according to the National Sample Survey 2017-18 report, the average medical expenditure per hospitalisation …

India can be third largest economy by skilling: PM Modi
1 year, 10 months ago

India can be third largest economy by skilling: PM Modi

Deccan Chronicle  

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that making medical treatment affordable has been a top priority of his government. The PM lamented the fact that life-saving equipment like medicines, vaccines and medical devices were “weaponised” when the Covid-19 pandemic was at its peak and said the government was always trying to minimise India’s dependence on foreign countries. …

Explained | India now has 1.4 billion people. What does it mean for their health?
1 year, 10 months ago

Explained | India now has 1.4 billion people. What does it mean for their health?

The Hindu  

Published : Mar 03, 2023 15:01 IST India’s population reached 1.4 billion people at the end of last year, according to estimates from the World Population Review. The US-based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation has predicted that India’s population could fall back to around one billion by the end of the century. And population growth is not going to …

₹2,828.33 crore for public health in Kerala Budget
1 year, 11 months ago

₹2,828.33 crore for public health in Kerala Budget

The Hindu  

The State Budget 2023-24 speaks about transforming Kerala into global healthcare capital, providing better healthcare services, focussing on health tourism and expanding and modernising existing facilities. “Navakerala Karma Padhati-2”, which has clubbed Rebuild Kerala Initiative and four Missions — Haritha Keralam, Aardram, LIFE and Vidya Kiranam — together gets an outlay of ₹10 crores in the Budget, while a chunk …

Budget 2023 | Marginal increase of 3.43% for health, research budget slashed by 6.87%
1 year, 11 months ago

Budget 2023 | Marginal increase of 3.43% for health, research budget slashed by 6.87%

The Hindu  

The Union Budget 2023-24 has announced an allocation of ₹89,155 crore for the Ministry of Health, which is 3.43% higher than its FY23 outlay of ₹86,200.65 crore. Of the ₹89,155 crore outlay, ₹86,175 crore has been earmarked for the Department of Health and Family Welfare and ₹2,980 crore for the Department of Health Research. As compared to FY22-23 when ₹3,200 …

Budget 2023 Reactions LIVE: Amit Shah Says Push To Cooperative Sector 'All-inclusive, Visionary'
1 year, 11 months ago

Budget 2023 Reactions LIVE: Amit Shah Says Push To Cooperative Sector 'All-inclusive, Visionary'

ABP News  

Budget 2023: The crucial day is here when Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government 2.0 will be presenting its last full-fledged budget ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in 2024. Taxpayers are hoping for further exemption in the current taxable income from Rs 2.5 lakh per annum to Rs 5 lakh per annum. Introduced in Budget 2020, the new tax …

Budget 2023: Experts Hope For Increased Thrust On Medical Education, Drug Research, AYUSH, Child And Maternal Health Initiatives
1 year, 11 months ago

Budget 2023: Experts Hope For Increased Thrust On Medical Education, Drug Research, AYUSH, Child And Maternal Health Initiatives

ABP News  

Budget 2023: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to announce India’s budget for the year 2023 on Wednesday, February 1. Experts have called for heavy investment in medical colleges, healthcare infrastructure, and disease awareness initiatives, and expect the budget to focus on drug research, child and maternal health initiatives, traditional medical practices, infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance, among others. …

Economic Survey 2022-23 | Out-of-pocket health spending still high, despite hike in government expenditure
1 year, 11 months ago

Economic Survey 2022-23 | Out-of-pocket health spending still high, despite hike in government expenditure

The Hindu  

Almost half of all health spending in India is still paid by patients themselves directly at the point of treatment, although this has dropped as the government’s share of spending on health went up significantly after 2013-14, according to the Economic Survey 2022-23. The share of government health expenditure in total health expenditure was just 28.6% in the financial year …

Budget 2023: Why last full budget of Narendra Modi govt should focus on health sector
1 year, 11 months ago

Budget 2023: Why last full budget of Narendra Modi govt should focus on health sector

Firstpost  

Since next year, 2024, the country will hold general elections, it would be a vote-on-account. It must include allocations for public hospitals, diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, and digital health, including R&D and capacity building for healthcare at all levels. The providers from these smaller towns should be able to deliver healthcare, and government must ‘ONLY’ give local providers viability gap funding and …

Budget 2023: PHDCCI pitches for increasing health budget by 30-40%
2 years ago

Budget 2023: PHDCCI pitches for increasing health budget by 30-40%

Live Mint  

Industry body PHDCCI on December 29 said the health budget should be increased by 30-40 percent as there is a growing need for health facilities and infrastructure across the country. Making the suggestion for the forthcoming Union Budget, Saket Dalmia, President of PHDCCI, said the budget for health has seen a rise of about 16 per cent in absolute terms …

Alleviating the scourge of private healthcare
2 years ago

Alleviating the scourge of private healthcare

The Hindu  

India ranks poorly on multiple health financing indicators. Public health insurance schemes have often been reproached for imposing unreasonable package rates on empanelled private providers with a weak regard for actual costs of care. For instance, some countries like Canada have conceived regional health boards that organise care equitably within regions, exploit economies of scale, and bring down healthcare costs. …

India fully prepared to deal with coronavirus situation: Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia
2 years ago

India fully prepared to deal with coronavirus situation: Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia

The Hindu  

India is fully prepared to deal with the coronavirus situation, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on 23 December. In the wake of rising coronavirus infections in China and some other countries, the government is taking various measures, including random testing of arriving international passengers, to curb possible spread of infections. Mr. Scindia said the country is fully prepared to deal …

A heartening health update
2 years, 3 months ago

A heartening health update

Hindustan Times  

The latest report of National Health Accounts — it has data for 2018-19 — shows that India continues to make progress towards reducing the burden of health spending on household budgets. This is a heartening development because the poor are more likely to gain when government spending rather than private health insurance brings about a reduction in OOP spending. As …

Defining a new pathway for enhanced healthcare
2 years, 9 months ago

Defining a new pathway for enhanced healthcare

Hindustan Times  

The challenges faced in the past by the Indian healthcare system pale in comparison with those brought on by the pandemic. Globally it can be seen that government expenditures on health need to be more than 70% to 75% of total health expenditures to deliver truly high-quality healthcare services. A review of the November 2021 State of State Finances report …

To bolster health care, governments must raise their budget allocations
2 years, 10 months ago

To bolster health care, governments must raise their budget allocations

Hindustan Times  

We are now past the halfway mark between 2017 and 2025. The National Health Policy 2017 aimed to increase public health spending from about 1% of the Gross Domestic Product to 2.5% by 2025. Before NHP 2017, NHP 2002, National Rural Health Mission in 2005, and the 11th and 12th five-year plans, all envisioned an increase in public health spending …

Healthcare Budget 2022 Fails to Learn Lessons Taught by the Pandemic
2 years, 11 months ago

Healthcare Budget 2022 Fails to Learn Lessons Taught by the Pandemic

The Quint  

The Finance Minister has announced that 23 telehealth centres of excellence for mental health will be established. According to 2017 data released by the World Health Organisation, there are approximately 9,000 psychiatrists and 49 child psychiatrists in India. This amounts to 0.75 psychiatrists per lakh population and 0.021 child psychiatrists per one lakh adolescents. The WHO pegs the desirable ratio …

Budget 2022 is impactful & visionary, says US-India trade networking body
2 years, 11 months ago

Budget 2022 is impactful & visionary, says US-India trade networking body

India Today  

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has been able to once again come up with an impactful and visionary budget which is “balanced, fiscally prudent and growth-oriented” in the midst of the third wave of Covid-19, the USA-India Chamber of Commerce said. It also paves the way for post-pandemic longer-term restructuring of the Indian economy,” Karun Rishi, president of Boston-based USA India …

Union Budget 2022 | Stable health budget sees no changes from last year
2 years, 11 months ago

Union Budget 2022 | Stable health budget sees no changes from last year

The Hindu  

The government perceives the pandemic to be in retreat, going by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s Budget speech as well as a perusal of the Budget documents. The 2022 Budget estimate is nearly 16% more than the ₹71,000 crore budgeted last year. Further evidence that COVID-19 is seen as a diminished threat this year comes from allocation to a budgetary head …

Budget 2022: India to lay out plan for keeping world’s fastest-recovery going
2 years, 11 months ago

Budget 2022: India to lay out plan for keeping world’s fastest-recovery going

Live Mint  

India is set to present an annual budget topping $500 billion Tuesday, in one of its most keenly watched economic events seen pivotal to sustaining the nation’s recovery from pandemic-induced disruptions. While the fiscal deficit forecast is narrower than the 6.8% gap targeted for the current fiscal year, it’s far wider than the shortfall seen in pre-pandemic years. Higher spending …

Chandrajit Banerjee | Budget must pave way for ambitious decadal growth
2 years, 11 months ago

Chandrajit Banerjee | Budget must pave way for ambitious decadal growth

Deccan Chronicle  

India’s economy has seen a sharp rebound after the first two waves of the Covid-19 pandemic and is expected to be the fastest growing major economy this year. Low government health expenditure leads to higher per capita out-of-pocket expenditure, impacting disposable incomes and access to healthcare. Therefore, India must increase its public expenditure on healthcare from the current 1.3 per …

Families in distress: Latest NFHS findings paint bleak picture
3 years ago

Families in distress: Latest NFHS findings paint bleak picture

The Hindu  

Towards the end of November 2021, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare released two interesting documents. The report on NHA claimed that the share of the government’s health expenditure in the total gross domestic product increased from 1.15 per cent to 1.35 per cent in 2017-18. Likewise, it said, the share of total government expenditure in total health expenditure …

Loss of income, rise in health expenses: How the Covid pandemic has made Indians poorer
3 years ago

Loss of income, rise in health expenses: How the Covid pandemic has made Indians poorer

India Today  

Sample these: 65.6 per cent households in lower-income countries reported financial reasons for not accessing healthcare during the pandemic; global poverty rates have increased for the first time in decades; 9.7 crore additional people have been pushed to extreme poverty in 2020 due to Covid. “The global poverty rate has increased for the first time after the 1997-98 Asian financial …

Wanted: A truly generous health cheque for underserved Indians
3 years, 2 months ago

Wanted: A truly generous health cheque for underserved Indians

Live Mint  

At an annual spend hovering around ₹2,000 per capita, India’s public health expenditure remains one of the lowest among major economies in the world. Yet, in fiscal 2020-21, when the pandemic burst on the scene, India’s government health expenditure inched up to merely 1.5% of GDP. The National Health Policy, in addition to recommending an increase in overall public health …

'BJP Not Centred Around Family, Associated With Common Man': PM Modi at NEC Meet
3 years, 2 months ago

'BJP Not Centred Around Family, Associated With Common Man': PM Modi at NEC Meet

The Quint  

"The global tragedy of coronavirus has surrounded all of us for the past two years. For this reason, after a long gap, after about 1.5 years, the meeting of the BJP's national executive is being held," Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan said in a press conference after the meeting. But in the budget presented by the Finance Minister last time, …

‘More health for the money’: Obtaining more value from financing
3 years, 3 months ago

‘More health for the money’: Obtaining more value from financing

Hindustan Times  

Currently, we in India spend a total of about 4% of our Gross Domestic Product on health care, with almost 2.5% being directly paid for by us at the time that we use any health care services, and only 1.25% being spent by the government. Having failed to obtain substantial improvements within their current systems using traditional methods, a number …

COVID-19 impact: Indian households spent more on food, less on healthcare during first lockdown
3 years, 9 months ago

COVID-19 impact: Indian households spent more on food, less on healthcare during first lockdown

Firstpost  

One year on, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to linger. The figure below illustrates a box plot of changes in total household expenditures between June 2019 and June 2020 using the CPDx household survey data. In June 2020, data shows a 1 percent further reduction in the overall share of health expenditures in the total for both rural …

Union budget focuses on spending to boost economic growth, strengthen health sector: Prasad
3 years, 11 months ago

Union budget focuses on spending to boost economic growth, strengthen health sector: Prasad

India TV News  

Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Saturday said the central budget for 2021-22 fiscal has focused on spending to build infrastructure and boost the economic growth of the country. Prasad said the budget should be seen in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the announcement of Rs 27 lakh crore Atma Nirbhar Bharat scheme. He also said the allocation …

Why This Budget Reflects a New India That Refuses to Compromise on Aspirations, Come What May
3 years, 11 months ago

Why This Budget Reflects a New India That Refuses to Compromise on Aspirations, Come What May

News 18  

A century after Spanish Flu, the world was struck again by a devastating pandemic. Push for Making Railways Future-Ready For the rail sector, one the most critical transport infrastructure, this year’s allocation witnessed highest-ever plan for capital expenditure, to the tune of a whopping Rs 2,15,058 crore, of which Rs 1,07,100 crore is being allocated from the Union Budget while …

The health nudge is merely a mirage
3 years, 11 months ago

The health nudge is merely a mirage

Live Mint  

HYDERABAD : The Union Budget, as expected, focused on healthcare, recognizing the havoc that the pandemic has caused in the country. With current enrolment under RSBY and other state-run insurance schemes well below the target of 500 million, increased allocation of funds was a necessary step in order to expand health insurance coverage. In a year when everything should have …

What The 137% Hike in Health Budget Means: From a Doctor Petitioning for Healthy India
3 years, 11 months ago

What The 137% Hike in Health Budget Means: From a Doctor Petitioning for Healthy India

News 18  

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented India’s budget for the fiscal year beginning April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022 on Monday. Emphasizing that the Budget proposal of 2021-2022 rests on 6 pillars including that of Health and Wellbeing, Sitharaman proposed more than doubling India’s healthcare and wellbeing spending to 2.2 trillion rupees. Dr Sarika Verma, an ENT surgeon based out …

Discover Related