Government expenditure in health sector is more than the patient’s pocket, common man got benefit
New Delhi: For the first time in the country, the government’s expenditure in the health sector has exceeded the patient’s pocket, which has directly benefited the common man. According to the National Health Accounts Estimates Report released by the Central Government, government expenditure on health has increased steadily in the last 10 years.
According to the report, the government expenditure on health per capita was around Rs 1,000 in 2013, which increased to more than Rs 3,000 in 2021-22. Due to this increase, the out-of-pocket expenditure of the common man has come down by about 25 per cent, which has improved the availability of health services. Analysts believe that this increase is an important step towards improving the health sector, which is providing relief to the citizens.
The Union Health Ministry has said that this significant increase in investment on healthcare is a sign of important changes in the country’s healthcare system. According to the ministry, for the first time, government spending has exceeded that of the private sector, underlining the government’s efforts to reduce the financial burden on individuals and make healthcare more accessible to all citizens.
The Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Yojana, launched in 2018, has provided health insurance up to Rs 5 lakh to people. More than 1.70 lakh Ayushman Swasthya Mandirs have been set up under this scheme.
Recently, the government has announced to make all senior citizens aged 70 years and above the beneficiaries of Ayushman Health Insurance. This step has been taken to provide better healthcare services to senior citizens and ensure their financial security.
Under the rule of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, per capita health expenditure in the country has increased almost three times. In the year 2013-14, this expenditure was Rs 1,042, which has increased to Rs 3,169 by 2021-22.
According to the report, the percentage of government health expenditure has increased from 28.6% to 48% during this period. At the same time, the pocket expenditure of the common man has come down from 64.2% to 39.4%. This is the first time in the history of the country that government health expenditure has increased so much and it has gone above the private expenditure of the common man in percentage.
The Ministry of Health has described this change as a relief step for the citizens, which will help them in providing better health services. The ministry says that this development reflects the government’s commitment to healthcare in the country.
