BENGALURU: With Covid burdening the healthcare infrastructure and manpower in the state, one would have expected a higher budgetary allocation to the public health sector. But it has remained at 4 per cent of the total budgetary spend, though the allocation has improved marginally to Rs 11,908 crore from last year’s Rs 10,122 crore. This time, the focus is on developing infrastructure, with little money for scaling up manpower and creating policies and schemes. Intensive Care Units of 25-bed and six-bed capacity will be set up at 19 district hospitals, and 100 taluk hospitals over the next two years at Rs 60 crore to make use of health facilities created during Covid-19 pandemic.
Primary Health Centres (PHCs), which experience higher work pressure, will be upgraded to model PHCs, stage-by-stage, to provide additional services and modern facilities. They will get the required equipment and also see rationalising of available manpower.Dr H Sudarshan Ballal, Chairman, Manipal Hospitals, said that while the government has allocated more funds for healthcare this year, in general, the public healthcare expenditure in the country has been low. “However, in view of the economic devastation from the pandemic and the crunch of funds, this seems to be a reasonable budget,” he said, rating it 7 out of 10.
“With the continued upgradation of oxygen beds, ICU beds, isolation beds and testing facilities, the budgetary allocation for these could have been higher to fight any future pandemics,” he said.The budget also includes `10 crore to set up laboratories in Ballari and Bengaluru and to detect hereditary metabolic diseases at initial stages to reduce newborn mortality.
Dr Sylvia Karpagam, a public health doctor and researcher, said, “Labs should serve multiple diagnostic needs. Why only hereditary metabolic diseases? There are many preventable causes for newborn mortality. Why is the government not addressing that? Also, the reason for malnutrition is not shortage of breast milk, but issues related to access to a balanced diet, healthcare, livelihood, incomes, etc. The government should have also identified the gaps in public healthcare delivery and invested there.”
Dr C N Manjunath, director, Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research, said, “Sub-centres with 50 beds will be set up at KC General Hospital, and with 100 beds at a hospital in Davanagere to reduce the burden at Jayadeva. Our staff will be recruited here which will help many people. However, we had expected a full-fledged Jayadeva Hospital in Hubballi to cater to the population of Dharwad and Belagavi.”