The Health Sector Budget May Increase In The Budget, There Is A High Demand

Ahead of the general budget, healthcare experts have stressed on the need for increased government spending, improved infrastructure and advanced innovation to create a robust healthcare system in India. He said that the Indian healthcare industry has a lot of expectations from the budget. In this, emphasis should be placed on access to good treatment, increased quality and research and development. We also tell you what kind of suggestions healthcare experts have given in the upcoming budget.

Health care is essential for a $5 trillion economy

Dr Girdhar Gyani, director general of the Association of Healthcare Providers of India (AHPI), said there is a need to increase government spending to address emerging health threats and achieve universal health coverage. He said the government should prioritise a comprehensive approach to build a “healthy India” by focusing on sanitation, clean water and nutrition. He said public health institutions should be professionalised under autonomous state boards and the Ayushman Bharat scheme should be restructured to cover all SECC-2011 beneficiaries.

Sunita Reddy, CEO, Apollo Hospitals Group, said it is important to recognise the critical relationship between a country’s economic health and its healthcare infrastructure. She said that to achieve the goal of a $5 trillion economy, a strong healthcare sector should be at the core of our strategy.

Health services budget increased to 2.5 percent of GDP

Prabal Ghoshal, chairman and director of Ujala Cygnus Group of Hospitals, urged the government to increase healthcare spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP, focusing on rural areas. IMA president RV Ashokan said the allocation for the health sector is very less compared to the Gross Domestic Product. Apart from this, spending on health determinants like drinking water and sanitation should be stated separately.

IMA has also written a letter to the Union Finance Minister on its demands in the budget. Fortis Healthcare MD and CEO Ashutosh Raghuvanshi spoke of prioritising healthcare infrastructure by increasing spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP.