Budget 2017: Govt to turn 1.5 lakh health sub-centers to wellness centers

Moneycontrol Bureau
In the Union Budget today, the government has allocated Rs 48,853 crore for health and family welfare for 2017-18 as compared to Rs 39,688 crore in 2016-17.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley reiterated the government's commitment to structural reforms in healthcare and medical practice in his Budget speech today. 

The government plans to amend the Drugs and Cosmetic Rules to ensure availability of drugs, including generic drugs, at reasonable price. The aim is to eliminate diseases like Tuberculosis by 2025 and measles by 2020 completely from the country. An action plan to eliminate Kala-Azar and Filariasis diseases by 2017-18 and leprosy by 2018will be put in place, the Finance Minister said.Also, an action plan has been prepared to reduce IMR from 39 in 2014 to 28 by 2019 and MMR from 167 in 2011-13 to 100 by 2018-2020.The government will turn 1.5 lakh health sub-centers to health wellness centers to ensure quality service to citizens of the country. The government will also set up two new All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Jharkhand and Gujarat.