Covid-19 crisis: 137% hike in health Budget, Rs 64,180 cr for new scheme
New Delhi: After so many years of "ignorance", the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken "health is wealth" saying 'very seriously' and put an extra effort to strengthen the public healthcare system by announcing a whopping 137 per cent hike in the health and wellness budget in the Union Budget for the financial year 2021-22, which was presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday.
The Finance Minister also launched a new central government-sponsored scheme Pradhan Mantri Atmanirbhar Swasth Bharat Yojana with an outlay of Rs 64,180 crore over six years. The scheme is meant to strengthen the health system and it will in addition to the National Health Mission.
The decision, hopefully, must have been taken after analysing the fact that it was the government healthcare system that performed at its best to manage the Covid-19 crisis, which was a new disease and even developed countries having robust healthcare facilities faced the brunt of coronavirus.
While announcing the mega hike in health budget, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, "I have provided Rs 35,000 crore for Covid-19 vaccine in this year 2021-22… I am committed to provide further funds if required. So the Budget outlay for health and well-being is Rs 2,23,846 crore in 2021-22, as against only Rs 94,452 crore (in 2020-21) and it marks an increase of 137 per cent."
Sitharaman further said, "Health and wellness is one of the six pillars of a self-reliant India. The pneumococcal vaccine, a made-in-India product, is currently limited to only five states, but will be rolled out across the country. This will avert more than 50,000 child deaths annually."
Under the new Pradhan Mantri Atmanirbhar Swasth Bharat Yojana scheme, the government would support over 17,000 rural and 11,000 urban health and wellness centres, setting up integrated public health labs in all districts and 3,382 block public health units in 11 states, establishing critical care, hospital blocks in 602 districts and 12 central institutions, etc.
In addition, 15 health emergency operation centres and two mobile hospitals would also be established, a national institution for One Health — a regional research platform for the WHO south-east Asia region office — apart from nine bio-safety 'level 3' labs and four regional National Institutes of Virology would be established.
Expressing his deep gratitude, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for moving health and wellbeing to the centrestage of India's governance.
