A VIRUS HAS ALERTED the whole wide world to the importance of public expenditure on health and India has been pro-active in combatting the coronavirus right from the start. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman informed the Lok Sabha on 1 February that the government would spend Rs 64,180 crore over the next six years to improve healthcare services. She said 95 per cent of 112 aspirational districts have made significant progress on healthcare infrastructure and other parameters and efforts would now be made to work on districts that were lagging behind. The high points of the government stance in tackling the enormous needs of healthcare in India, however, are not really the amount of money the government intends to spend, but the issues it addresses, namely the growing menace of mental health in pandemic-driven times and putting healthcare on a digital framework. Both the initiatives have received applause all around.
Even so, as the Economic Survey for the 2021-2022 financial year tabled in Parliament on 28 January points out, India ranks 179 out of 189 countries who have prioritised health in their government budgets. So, a great deal remains to be done. Since health is a state subject in India, spending on healthcare by the states matters the most when inspecting government healthcare spendings. The document indicates that a one per cent increase in public spending to 2.5-3 per cent of GDP could decrease out-of-pocket expenditures (read personal spendings) from 65 per cent to 30 per cent of the overall healthcare expenditure.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS:
1. Rolling out of an open platform for the National Digital Health Ecosystem
Denne historien er fra February 09, 2022-utgaven av Businessworld.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra February 09, 2022-utgaven av Businessworld.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
MEMORIES & IMPRESSIONS
Ratan Tata was an exceptional human being. He was a visionary leader, esteemed industrialist, and a humanitarian, who left an indelible mark on India and the world.
The Robotaxi Market
The robotaxi market is shaping up to be a high-stakes battleground as tech giants and automakers race to transform urban mobility.
And the Nobel Prize Goes to AI
The recent Nobel Prize T awards to AI pioneers affiliated with Google have sparked a broader conversation about Big Tech's influence on research and the limitations of traditional prize categories.
Ola Electrified
Once considered a trailblazer in India’s electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem, Bhavish Aggarwal’s Ola Electric now faces a major accountability crisis.
Sharp Slide in Industrial Output on Eve of Deepavali
India’s index of industrial production (IIP) saw a sharp reversal in August, contracting by 0.1 per cent, in stark contrast to the 4.7 per cent growth in July, mostly because of significant contractions in mining and electricity generation.
Heralding the Solar Era with Sustainable Electrification
RAJEEV KASHYAP on the economics of solar power, the hurdles in scaling it, and much more
A WELL-GREASED MACHINE
The OmniBook X14 laptop runs on first-generation Snapdragon X Elite, which bets big on Al-enabled productivity and battery life, but falls short when it comes to overall experience, says Deep Majumdar
DO NOT LETA HEALTH CRISIS RUIN YOUR FINANCIAL HEALTH
For a family of four living in a metro, it is recommended to opt for a family floater health insurance plan with a sum insured of at least Rs 15-20 lakh
Disruption Ahead: Beyond Organisation Charts and Structures
ALBERT EINSTEIN FAMOUSLY said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Dr. Rahul Shivajirao Kadam: A Visionary Leader Blending Sustainability, Innovation, And Social Empowerment
We are on the stage of global warming, and these technologies not only help prevent further damage but also leave behind a better environment for future generations.
