In the unveiling of the interim budget for 2024-25, Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has underscored significant strides in the healthcare sector, emphasising its pivotal role in the nation's overall well-being. The budget brings to light a comprehensive array of developments, signalling a commitment to bolstering healthcare infrastructure and services. With a focus on addressing critical healthcare needs, the budget not only reflects a strategic approach to public health but also indicates a broader societal investment. A sum of Rs 88,956 crore is allocated to the Health and Family Welfare Ministry in FY24 as compared to Rs 7,200 crore for FY23. In this article, we’ll dive into what developments have been introduced in the pre-election budget 2024.
On medical colleges:
According to the FM Nirmala Sitharaman, the Government of India is planning to set up more medical colleges for students. “Our govt plans to set up more medical colleges by utilising the existing medical infra under various departments,” Sitharaman said.
On Ayushman Bharat Scheme:
On the Ayushman Bharat scheme, she said, “The health cover under the Ayushman Bharat scheme will be extended to all ASHA and Anganwadi workers and helpers."
Over 300 million families in India, including seniors and disabled citizens, have healthcare covered under the AB-( PMJAY ) scheme providing over Rs 79,000 crore for 62 million hospital admissions since 2018.
On Cervical Vaccine:
FM Nirmala Sitharaman also announced that the new interim budget focuses on women’s health and the new budget will include a cervical cancer vaccine in the government's national immunisation programme. The government will encourage the vaccination against cervical cancer of girls in the age group of 9-14 years for the prevention of the disease.
Additionally, the budget also focuses on India’s simplified approach to the maternal and child healthcare sector by merging all existing schemes into a single program for better impact. Nutrition and early childhood development get a boost with the accelerated upgrade of Anganwadi centres. Additionally, the "U-Win" platform streamlines immunization management and strengthens Mission Indradhanush, ensuring wider, faster vaccination coverage. This multi-pronged approach prioritises child well-being from the outset.
India's healthcare budget for FY2023-24 saw a 13% increase over the previous year, reaching Rs 89,155 crore. However, concerns persisted about high out-of-pocket expenses for patients and a lack of healthcare personnel. The National Health Mission received the largest share (33%), followed by medical colleges and hospitals (27%).
Meanwhile, the overall government budget for FY2023-24 grew by 7.5% compared to the revised estimate of 2022-23, reaching Rs 45,03,097 crore. This followed a 6.1% increase in actual expenditure from the 2022-23 budget estimate.
