When the first Union budget of the NDA government is welcomed by various associations in the health sector, the Medicos Legal Action Group (MLAG), a forum of allopathic doctors based at Chandigarh in Punjab, has termed the health budget highly disappointing by stating that their demand to increase spending on health has been totally ignored.
Dr. Neeraj Nagpal, convener of MLAG, said, “Our persistent demand to increase spending on health has not only been ignored , but it has been reduced drastically. The marginal increase, if any on clubbing the budgeted funds in central and state pools, would still barely cover the inflationary rise. We do not see any major change in this plan from what has been dished out in the past and hence are disappointed.”
The statement added that while free drug service and free diagnostic services have been envisaged to achieve health for all, no budgetary provision has however been made for increasing the spending on health.
Dr Neeraj said, the revised Budget for 2013 -14 had total budgeted expenditure of Rs. 27,531 crore on health & family welfare, whereas despite the four new AIIMS and 12 government medical colleges, a total of Rs. 10,672 crore has been budgeted in the central pool which is about 38 per cent of the last year’s allocation.
Though states have been allocated another Rs. 24,202 crore to health and family welfare, it requires clarity under which programme -heads this will be used, said the statement.
“For health research Rs. 880 crore was budgeted in the revised budget for 2013-14 which has now been raised to 1017 crores. For AIDS control, Rs. 1500 crore was budgeted last year which has now been whittled down to Rs. 857 crore for central schemes, and Rs. 882 crore has been allotted to states under the same. Even for Ayush Rs. 935 crore was budgeted last year (revised) which has now been brought down to Rs. 872 crore in the central pool and Rs. 364 crore is allotted to states”, said the medicos legal action leader.