The Interim Union Budget -2024 presented by the Indian Finance Minister brings an array of developments , signalling a commitment to bolstering healthcare infrastructure and services
The initiatives announced upgrading existing hospital infrastructure to increase medical colleges, harmonization of maternal and child care implementation, introduction of HPV vaccination for cervical cancer prevention, and the expansion of the U-WIN platform across for managing and intensifying immunization – will further strengthen systems and healthcare services across the country. 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 financial year (FY24) as compared to Rs 7,200 crore for FY23.
NURSES
Skilling of healthcare nurses and allied workers has been a long-standing gap, hindering healthcare delivery expansion, and the Union Govt. has taken a step in the right direction to address this in the interim budget. A significant increase in nursing and medical colleges, strong emphasis to promote innovation and R&D, PPP in healthcare and medtech specialised workforce will lay a stronger roadmap for the future.
DIGITAL
The initiatives announced to strengthen the digital healthcare infrastructure will prove to be beneficial for the healthcare sector in the years to come. The mission to eliminate sickle cell anemia by 2047, income tax rebates and disposable income to be channeled to essential items – healthcare being one, are laudable efforts undertaken by the government. However, the long-standing requirements of the sector to increase healthcare spending as GDP per cent to 2.5 per cent, custom duty reduction to balance demand with supply and the nascent healthcare manufacturing base in equipment scheme, streamlining embedded indirect taxes like GST in healthcare making a smooth flow of credit difficult across value chain and low-cost financing schemes to strengthen healthcare infrastructure, primary care and improved working capital has not been addressed. In the last couple of years, a big positive is the partnership spirit with the private sector in healthcare and coherent initiatives undertaken to take these goals towards reality for a healthier prosperous India.
Implementing ‘health for all’ is the foremost step to become a ‘developed nation’ by 2047. To achieve developed healthcare, the basic is health for all. This means the healthcare services should reach every person across the country. The government needs to focus on the health insurance for all as well.
It is impossible to provide free healthcare to all. This means that the government should focus how to increase insurance cover for the patients .
While India is an ultimate destination for healthcare, there are still a few measures to be taken.
To reach the position of a developed nation, there are certain parameters that needed to be checked. These parameters include decreased mortality rate, malnutrition, etc.
(Dr Naresh Purohit is Executive Member of the Federation of Hospital Administrators And Principal Investigator for Association of Studies of Healthcare) . The views and opinion expressed in this article are those of the author)
