BENGALURU: Yet again, the healthcare sector hasn’t received a priority in the budget. Its allocation in the budget is a meagre 0.66 per cent of the state Gross Domestic Product. As per several recommendations, the state should spend at least 3%r cent by 2020, and 4% per cent by 2025.
All budgetary promises in the health sector are pertaining to tertiary care services and the establishment of new hospitals. This budget continues to ignore strengthening of taluk hospitals providing secondary care, particularly maternal and child care services. So, these announcements don’t change anything on the ground, for example, like filling vacancies of doctors.
“Cash incentive schemes like Mathrushree scheme, are meaningful if they are accompanied by the strengthening of systems equipped to provide good quality healthcare that we see, is grossly missing,” said Akhila Vasan, convener, Karnataka Janarogya Chaluvali.
Dr Giridhar Babu, additional professor, Public Health Foundation of India, said, “It is important to treat complications but it is wrong not to prevent these complications by providing diabetic and blood pressure medications through all Primary Health Centres.”
“Without focusing on improving the quality of medical education in the existing facilities, announcing another medical college in Kanakapura is pitiful. As part of the Karnataka Public Health Policy, creating and empowering strong workforce of public health professionals is missing,” he added.
Dr Sudarshan Ballal, Chairman, Manipal Hospitals, said, “Opening of tertiary care super-speciality hospitals in areas other than Bangalore will help patients seek care closer to home than rush to Bangalore for this kind of care. Emphasis and introduction of Bone Marrow Transplant in Kidwai Hospital is a good move as cancer care in the private sector is very expensive.”