Wildlife sanctuaries in Assam

Background Information on Major Initiatives & Announcements for Health Sector in the General Budget 2018-19

Posted On: 01 FEB 2018 2:22PM

In keeping with the guiding principle of our Government, Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah, Sarve Santu Niramaya, Health is at the heart of human development.

Against this backdrop, Government today has announced as a part of Ayushman Bharat, two path breaking interventions that address health holistically, impacting primary, secondary and tertiary care system as well as prevention and health promotion.

In keeping with last year's decision to transform sub health centres into Health and Wellness Centres, the National Health Policy 2017 has envisioned Health and Wellness Centres as the foundation of India's health system. The Government is now committed to building a strong and people centric comprehensive primary health care system closer to the homes of people. These centres will provide healthcare including for non communicable disease such as hypertension, diabetes, mental health besides maternal and child health services.  These centres will also provide free essential drugs and diagnostics.   A Jan Andolan for preventive and promotive health and wellness will be rolled out through these centres.  Accordingly, comprehensive primary health care delivered through 1.5 lakh Health and Wellness Centres will be a flagship programme of the Honourable Prime Minister, towards which the Government has committed Rs.1200 croes in this budget.  We have also invited CSR and philanthropy in setting up of these Health and Wellness Centres.

The second flagship programme under Ayushman Bharat is the health protection scheme.  We are all aware that cores of families in our country have to borrow or sell assets to receive treatment in big hospitals.  Government is seriously concerned about such impoverishment in poor and vulnerable families.  The Government was so far running RSBY schemes that provided annual coverage of only Rs.30,000 to poor families.   Several State Governments have also implemented /supplemented health protection schemes providing varying coverage.

The Government has now taken health protection to more aspiration level.

The Flagship National Health Protection Scheme will cover over 11 crore poor and vulnerable families providing coverage upto 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalizations.  Rs.2000 crore has been allocated this year for this scheme.  The States will have the option of implementing this scheme through a Trust model or Insurance company based model, though the Trust model will be preferred.

It is highlighted that these two far reaching initiatives under the Ayushman Bharat cover the entire spectrum of healthcare, primary, secondary and tertiary care including focus of prevention, wellness and health promotion. Together these initiatives will help build a Swasth Bharat@2022 which will ensure enhanced productivity wellbeing and avert wage loss , besides, generating lakhs of jobs particularly for women.  With these initiatives, the Government is steadily but surely progressing towards the goal of Universal Health Coverage.

TB claims 4.20 lakh lies every year in our country which is more than any other infectious disease.  TB affects mainly poor and malnourished people.  The Government has therefore decided to allocate additional Rs.600 crore to provide nutritional support to al TB patientsat the  rate of Rs.500/- per month to every patient for the duration of their treatment.

With a view to establishing medical colleges in underserved areas of the country, it has been decided go sanction up-gradation of district hospitals to medical colleges in a manner so that there is at least one medical college between every three Parliamentary constituencies of the country. Twenty three new medical colleges will be set up in accordance with this principle. In addition, one college would also be set up in the State of Sikkim since there is no Government medical college in the State.

 The above initiatives will  all be funded by the Centre and the Sates on a 60:40 sharing basisfor most states as applicable.