12 Things To Know About Health Budget 2020

On 1 February, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2020 in the parliament. According to health budget 2020, an additional amount of Rs. 69000 crores were allocated to the healthcare which is 10% greater than the previous budget of Rs. 62,659 crores.

Though the government's budget on healthcare has been increased, it is just 1% of the gross domestic product (GDP). According to experts, the percentage of increase in the GDP should be around 2.5% (approx. Rs. 150000 crores) to take the healthcare industry ahead in the country. In this way, all the health needs of the marginalized population will be fulfilled.

Take a look at all the key highlights of the health budget 2020.

• In the total health budget of 2020, Rs. 6400 crore is inclusive for Jan Arogya Yojana.
• Mission Indradhanush (mission against vaccine-preventable diseases) will be expanded to cover 12 diseases which are on the list, including five new vaccines.
• Fit India movement is a vital part of the fight against non-communicable diseases from lifestyle issues.
• A focused safe drinking water program called "Jal Jeevan Mission' and comprehensive sanitation program 'Swatch Bharat Mission' will be strengthened to support the health mission that would reduce the disease burden on the poor.
• Currently, there are more than 20000 hospitals which are enrolled in 'Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna'. More such hospitals will be empanelled in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities so that poor people in these areas can benefit from them.
• The effort will be made to set up a viability gap funding window for setting up hospitals in PPP mode in the first phase. PPP means setting up a public infrastructure by the government in partnership with the private sectors.
• Ayushman Bharat scheme will be empanelled to more hospitals in the aspirational districts of Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.
• The expansion of Ayushman Bharat empanelled hospitals will provide large scale employment opportunities for youth.
• Proceeds from taxes on medical devices will be used to support vital health structure which will be built in the aspirational districts.
• Machine learning and artificial intelligence will be implemented in the Ayushman Bharat scheme so that health authorities can target disease with an appropriately designed preventive regimen.
• The campaign "TB Harega, Desh Jitega" will be strengthened to realize our commitment to end tuberculosis by 2025.
• The campaign "Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana Kendra" will be expanded to all districts offering 2000 medicines and 300 surgical by 2024.