Express News Service
BENGALURU: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman allocated Rs 2,23,846 crore in the Budget for health and wellbeing which is an increase of 137 per cent as compared to last year. Though this has brought cheer to the health sector, some experts said that the budget could have done more. Dr B S Ajaikumar, Executive Chairman, HCG, said, “India is in dire need of Universal Healthcare Coverage (UHC), which was not well articulated in the finance minister’s budget today.
It is good that we are spending Rs 35,000 crore on the Covid vaccine. The overall spending should have been more because we started from a very low base post-Covid. The government spending only 1.5 per cent of the GDP on healthcare is insufficient. While it is good to focus on preventive healthcare and wellness clinics, the government’s intention on cooperating with the private sector is still unclear. A levy similar to education cess could have been created in healthcare to bring uniformity through UHC. Overall, I am glad to see some spends directed towards healthcare, but it is not substantial, especially considering that we are battling the effects of Covid.”