Budget2012: Health sector gets Rs 34,488 cr, up 13.24%

New Delhi: The health sector has got a total outlay of Rs 34,488 crore in the budget estimates for 2012-13, which is 13.24 percent more than the budget estimates of Rs 30,456 for the ongoing fiscal.

The plan outlay for the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is up by about 14 percent at Rs 30,477 crore in 2012-13, which is Rs 3,717 crore more than the plan outlay of Rs 26,760 crore of 2011-12.

There is a total non-plan outlay of Rs 4,011 crore in the budget estimates for 2012-13.[caption id=“attachment_247685” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Health boost. Image courtesy PIB”]  [/caption]

Presenting the Union Budget, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee also announced an increase in the allocations for the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) to Rs 20,822 crore for 2012-13, around 15 percent more than Rs 18,115 crore for 2011-12, besides announcing the launch of National Urban Health Mission for encompassing the primary healthcare needs of people in urban areas.

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Of the total Plan health outlay in budget estimates for 2012-13, the Department of Health and Family Welfare gets the major chunk of Rs 27,127 crore, which is Rs 3,567 crore (15 percent) more than Rs 23,560 crore in the budget estimates for the current year.

The Department of Ayurvedi, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) gets a total plan outlay of Rs 990 crore in budget estimates for 2012-13, up 10 percent from Rs 900 crore allocated in budget estimates for 2011-12.

A total of Rs 660 crore have been earmarked for the Department of Health Research in budget estimates for the coming fiscal, which is also 10 per cent higher from Rs 600 crore earmarked in the budget estimates for 2011-12.

There has been no change in the allocation for Department of AIDS Control in the budget estimates for 2012-13, where a sum of Rs 1,700 crore (same last year) has been earmarked.

Of the total funds of Rs 30,702 crore (including Rs 3,575 crore under non plan outlay) made available for the Department of Health and Family Welfare in budget estimates for 2012-13, a sum of Rs 1,578.04 crore have been earmarked for Hospitals and Dispensaries and Rs 4,182.38 percent for medical education training and research and a sum of Rs 2,876.82 crore for public health.

Of the total Plan health outlay, Rs 7,537.25 crore are for medical and public health, Rs 16,873.05 crore for family welfare and a sum of Rs 2,712.7 crore have been earmarked for provision of projects/schemes of north-eastern areas.

Under the total funds of Rs 20,822 crore earmarked for National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), a sum of Rs 20,542 crore has been set apart for NRHM schemes under the Department of Health and Family Welfare while another Rs 280 crore have been earmarked for NRHM for development of AYUSH hospitals and dispensaries and mainstreaming of AYUSH, under the Department of AYUSH.

Under the Department of AYUSH, total funds earmarked for Ayurveda are Rs 248.89 crore, including Rs 147.27 crore under Plan outlay) and Rs 84.98 crore for Homoeopathy (including Rs 58.91 crore under Plan outlay), besides another Rs 100.23 crore (Rs 64.78 crore under Plan funds) for Unani medicine and another Rs 66.52 crore (Rs 46.76 crore under Plan) for Yoga, Naturopathy and Siddha.

Besides, another sum of Rs 1,040.80 crore (Rs 853.61 under plan outlay) are earmarked for medical and public health schemes and Rs 99 crore for north-eastern region under department of Ayush. A total investment in public sector enterprises in Ayush is to the tune of Rs 16.2 crore.

For the Department of Health Research, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) gets Rs 710 crore, including Rs 470 crore under Plan funds, against Rs 610.85 crore earmarked in budget estimates of 2011-12 and revised estimates of Rs 621.85 crore for the current year.

The Department of AIDS Control gets Rs 1,700 crore, which is the same as budget estimates of 2011-12, but up from Rs 1,500 crore in the revised estimates for the current year. Of this, Rs 722.12 crore will go as grants in aid to state AIDS Control Societies and Rs 487.29 crore as procurements, besides Rs 234 crore for supply of Condoms, while a sum of Rs 170 crore have been earmarked for the schemes in North-Eastern areas.

PTI