Karnataka government has made a higher allocation in the development of healthcare in this year State Budget 2009-2010. An amount of Rs 1,840 crore has been proposed to strengthen the medical services sector.

On November 1, 2008, the state government had implemented the Arogya Kavacha the medical care scheme pressing in 150 ambulances on an 24-hour basis which has been able to save 11,468 lives. Under this year's budget allocation, the government has now planned to provide Rs 221.25 crore by March 2010 for 517 ambulances, stated BS Yeddyurappa, Karnataka chief minister stated in his State Budget 2009-10 presentations.

Under the Suvarna Arogya Suraksha Scheme 16 lakh poor families in the backward districts of Gulbarga will be provided free medical treatment coverage up to Rs 1.50 lakh.

In order to provide quality health care in the area of super specialty, Karnataka Institute of Diabetology has been opened during 2008-09. For the building, an amount of Rs 5 crore will be provided for the year 2009-10.

It is also proposed to provide Rs 4.5 crore for the development of the Karnataka Institute of Nephro-Urology.

The SDS Sanatorium at the Rajiv Gandhi Tuberculosis Institute will be developed as an autonomous institution for which an amount of Rs 10 crore will be provided.

At the Krishnarajendra Hospital at Mysore, the units of Kidwai Memorial Institute Oncology and the Jayadeva Institute of Cardiology will be opened. An amount of Rs 10 crore will be provided for this.

On the occasion of the centenary celebrations of the Ayurveda Hospital at Mysore, an amount of Rs 2 crore will be provided for opening the Ayurveda Research Institute.

On similar lines of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), an institute of mental health hospital will be established at Dharwar for which an amount of Rs 10 crore is allocated.

The general hospitals in Bidar and Belgaum will be upgraded to have additional bed capacity of 250 each. The district hospital in Bellary will also be upgraded.

The scheme to give an assistance of Rs 2000 for nutritional needs for pregnant women from scheduled castes and scheduled tribes is extended to all districts. For this an amount of Rs 15 crore would be spent.

In order to ensure that the drugs available in the market are of good quality, two more Drug Test Labs have come up at Hubli and Bellary. This has now given the State the rare distinction of having more than one drug testing lab in the government sector.

A botanical garden like the Lalbagh will be developed by planting trees on 156 acres of government land which is now available at the Vaccine Institute in Belgaum. A provision of Rs 5 crore has been made under this budget, stated the Karnataka chief minister.