Budget 2024: Indian Medical Association seeks investment in public sector hospitals
The Hindu
Investment in health has stagnated and hospitals in the government sector and their human resources must be strengthened, according to President of the Indian Medical Association
Investment in health has stagnated and hospitals in the government sector and their human resources must be strengthened, according to President of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), said Dr R.V. Asokan.
Speaking to ANI ahead of the interim budget, Dr. Asokan said that investment in the health space has stagnated even as disease burdens have risen.
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“Our health investment has stagnated at 1.1% of the GDP for many years. This underfunding is a reason for poor infrastructure and lack of human resources. So we feel without including the budget of drinking water sanitation, which we call health determinants, the core health budget should be at least 2.5 per cent...,” he told ANI over an online video interview.
“We would want that the public sector [hospitals] be strengthened and human resources increase,” he said.
Further, noting that the flagship Ayushman Bharat scheme was a very important initiative of the central government, Dr. Asokan, however, feels it needs restructuring so that the private hospitals can also benefit.
“Two-third of the funding for Ayushman Bharat goes to government hospitals. I think that’s not a great idea because the people are not feeling the relief. Because already it is free. So, it is another way of funding the government hospitals, rather through insurance companies, where they take a share of service provision for 10 to 15 per cent, which is a poor way of funding our government hospitals,” Dr. Asokan said.