Union Minister Anupriya Patel Announces 85% Increase in Health Budget for 2024-25
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New Delhi, Dec 13 (NationPress) The government has raised the health budget allocation by 85% for the fiscal year 2024-25, as stated by Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel on Friday.
According to Patel, “The budget allocation for the Department of Health & Family Welfare has surged by 85%, growing from Rs 47,353 crore in 2017-18 (Budget Estimates) to Rs 87,657 crore in 2024-25 (BE).” This information was provided in a written response in the Lok Sabha.
Patel also highlighted a significant decrease in the out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) in the nation over the past five years, stating, “It fell from 48.8% in 2017-18 to 39.4% in 2021-22.”
The OOPE as a percentage of Total Health Expenditure (THE) for the years 2017-18 through 2021-22 were 48.8%, 48.2%, 47.1%, 44.4%, and 39.4% respectively.
Furthermore, the 15th Finance Commission allocated Rs 70,051 crore in grants for health through local governments, Patel noted.
She emphasized that the central government has initiated numerous measures to assist states in delivering quality and affordable healthcare services while minimizing OOPE.
These initiatives include programs such as “Pradhan Mantri -Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM),” “Ayushman Aarogya Mandir” (previously known as AB-HWC), and “Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY).”
Patel mentioned that PM-ABHIM is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with some components under the Central Sector, having an outlay of Rs 64,180 crore.
To ensure comprehensive primary healthcare services, Patel stated that 1,75,418 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAMs) have been established and are operational as of today.
Additionally, the Centre has set up advanced diagnostic and research laboratories across the country.
Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Prataprao Jadhav informed that a Central Sector Scheme has been introduced to create a robust network of laboratories to manage epidemics and natural disasters.
In this context, the government has “established advanced viral research and diagnostic laboratories (VRDLs) with an investment of Rs 324 crore for the period from FY 2021-22 to 2025-26,” Jadhav detailed in a written response in the Lok Sabha on Friday.
Jadhav stated that “163 VRDL have already been sanctioned.” Among these, 11 VRDLs are categorized as regional and are equipped with advanced Biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) facilities to detect high-risk infectious pathogens of public health significance.
