Health infra to see boost, Rs 25-30 cr set aside for COVID-19 vaccination

New Delhi: As the Covid-19 vaccination starts reaching the general public and with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal having promised to provide vaccines to Delhiites free of cost, the Delhi government is set to significantly increase its healthcare allocation, with at least Rs 25 crore to Rs 30 crore set aside just for the vaccination programme, in the next Budget (FY 2021-2022), which is expected to be presented by the state's Finance Minister by March 10.

"The government is considering putting a cap on the rates at private facilities while at government facilities it will be at free of cost," one senior official said. CM Arvind Kejriwal and Health Minister Satyendra Jain had both promised free vaccines on several occasions while talking to the media and had also said that the AAP-government would provide free vaccines even if the Central government does not.

However, given that vaccination has already started for the general public, the Centre has capped private hospital Covid-19 vaccine charges at Rs 250 and made it free at all of its government facilities.

The Delhi government in its 2020-2021 budget had announced an allocation of Rs 7,704 crore for the health sector, along with the approval of Rs 2,578 crore for the upgradation and expansion of 16 hospitals. The size of the budget was Rs 48,000 crore in 2017-18, Rs 53,000 crore in 2018-19 and Rs 60,000 crore in 2019-2020.

Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, who is also the state's finance minister, will likely present the second budget of the AAP government's second term in the Assembly.

"I propose a budget provision of Rs 7,704 crore for the health sector in 2020-21. This includes a revenue budget of Rs 6,555 crore and a capital budget of Rs 1149 crore," he had said while presenting the previous budget.

The budget had focused on education and health sectors which Sisodia had said were important areas of the Kejriwal model of governance. However this time, health will be given more importance than it has ever been seen, a government official said.

"The second most integral part of the Kejriwal model of governance is making available good health services to every resident of Delhi. Providing quality healthcare to every citizen of Delhi through Mohalla Clinic and a hospital with modern facilities is among the 10 guarantees of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal," Sisodia had said.

As officials were in marathon meetings over preparing the Budget, many of them had told Millennium Post that the focus in FY 21-22 will be on maintaining a fine balance between sufficiently

prioritising health and education spending and spending for select capital projects — all the while ensuring that the top 10 items on "Kejriwal ka Guarantee Card".

The sectors under focus include electricity, water supply, education, health, transport, pollution, garbage, safety, unauthorised colonies, and 'Pucca houses'.

Expenditure reports from the current fiscal year showed that while many of the planned capital projects had been stalled due to the pandemic, the Delhi government is planning to carefully pick and choose its capital projects for this year.