VIJAYAWADA: Yet again, the health sector has been allocated a major share in the total outlay of the State Budget for the financial year 2022-23. A total of Rs 15,384.26 crore has been allocated for health, medical and family welfare, which is 11.23% higher than the allocation for the current fiscal.
In the previous Budget of Andhra Pradesh, the health sector was allotted Rs 13,830.44 crore and Rs 13,702.82 crore was spent. It may be noted that Telangana earmarked Rs 11,237 crore for the health sector for the financial year 2022-23.
A majority of the budgetary allocations are for treatment and medical care, Rs 2,462.03 crore for National Health Missions (Urban and Rural) and Rs 2,000 crore for YSR Aarogyasri Health Care Trust.
Presenting the Budget on Friday, Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath said Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy revamped YSR Aarogyasri in 2019 by expanding the number of network hospitals from 919 to 1,757, increasing the procedures covered from 1,059 to 2,446, and enhancing the ceiling limit to Rs 5 lakh income per annum per family.
“All procedures costing more than Rs 1,000 are covered under the programme. About 1.4 crore YSR Aarogyasri Smart Health Cards with QR codes were distributed. As per the National Family Health Survey – Round 4, the percentage of households in AP with a member covered by a health scheme or health insurance, has increased from 74.6% in 2019-20 to 91.27% in 2021-22,” he said.
The government is also providing Rs 225 per day to patients as post-operative sustenance allowance under YSR Aarogya Aasara. Since December 2019, Rs 489.61 crore has been provided for post-operative sustenance allowance to 8,83,961 patients under Arogya Aasara. For 2022-23, the programme got a budgetary allocation of Rs 300 crore.
In addition, the government had decided to provide cashless health care services to Covid-19 affected people irrespective of their economic status. Ten Covid-19 and post-Covid-19 procedures were included in YSR Aarogyasri. A total of Rs 732.16 crore was spent on treatment of 2,09,765 patients.
Due importance has been given to health infrastructure by revamping the existing hospitals and proposing new ones in the form of teaching hospitals and healthcare facilities in tribal areas. For revamping the physical infrastructure of existing medical colleges, Rs 1,603 crore has been set aside for the Nadu-Nedu scheme and Rs 250.45 crore for setting up new medical colleges. The State government has proposed to establish 16 new medical colleges (teaching hospitals) in addition to the existing ones. A total of Rs 570.20 crore has been allocated for the new medical colleges.
The 104 and 108 services too have been revamped. The number of 104 mobile medical units has been increased from 292 to 656, which is one per mandal. Similarly, the fleet of 108 ambulances has been raised to 768. “Recognising the deficiency of primary health care in urban areas, our government has sanctioned 560 YSR Urban Clinics in 120 ULBs,” Buganna said.
“The remarkable efforts of the government are reflected in the NITI Aayog Health Index 2021 report that ranks Andhra Pradesh second in the country, up from fourth just two years ago,” Buggana said.
Commenting on the allocations to the health sector, IMA State president Dr C Srinivasa Raju said the funds may not be sufficient to achieve the sustainable development goals. “To fulfil the health needs of five crore people, the State needs a minimum Rs 25,000 crore per annum, whereas the allocation now is Rs 15,300 crore only.”
Speaking to TNIE, Dr Raju opined that public and preventive health should be allocated more. “It is surprising that no allocations have been made for establishing and strengthening of start-ups in the health sector,” he said.
Five multispeciality hosps for tribal areas
Multispeciality hospitals have been sanctioned for RC Varam, Seethampeta, Parva-thipuram, Buttaigudem and Dornala. A tribal medical college has been sanctioned for Paderu. A sum of `170 cr has been earmarked for the five multispeciality hospitals in the Agency areas