Budget 2022| Rs 4,177 crore push for district health infrastructure

The budget allocation for the health sector in the Union budget 2022-23 is being largely termed as underwhelming with no major initiative or push, but the commitment of nearly Rs 4,177 crore for the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission has offered some relief.

The mission, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his parliamentary constituency Varanasi last October, is one of the largest pan-India schemes for strengthening healthcare infrastructure, in addition to the National Health Mission.

Under the revised budget estimate for 2021-22, Rs 585 crore had been allocated for the purpose.

The Union health ministry has said that the objective of this mission is to fill gaps in public health infrastructure, especially in critical care facilities and primary care in both urban and rural areas.

Under the project, the Centre has committed to providing support for 17,788 rural health and wellness centres in 10 high-focus states while 11,024 urban health and wellness centres will be also established in all the states.

Through this, critical care services are planned to be made available in all the districts of the country with more than five lakh population through exclusive critical care hospital blocks, while the remaining districts are scheduled to be covered through referral services.

People will have access to a full range of diagnostic services in the public healthcare system through a network of laboratories across the country, and integrated public health labs will be set up in all the districts, the ministry had said earlier.

It had also said that under the scheme, a national institution for one health, four new national institutes for virology, a regional research platform for WHO southeast Asia Region, nine biosafety level-III laboratories, five new regional national center for disease control are planned to be set up.

Some public health experts meanwhile felt that while the intent of the initiative is good, the fund allocated under it may not be adequate.

“It’s a good initiative aimed at strengthening district hospitals but I am afraid the budget allocated for it may not be sufficient enough to achieve the intended purpose,” said former Union health secretary Sujatha K Rao.