Odisha budget: Health allocation up by 27%, focus on infrastructure

Health spend amounts to around 7 per cent of the state budget
Image used for representational purpose only. (Express Illustrations)
Image used for representational purpose only. (Express Illustrations)

BHUBANESWAR: Healthcare has been a major area of focus for the Naveen Patnaik government, which in its fifth term, has proposed to spend Rs 16,048 crore in the sector, a whopping 167 per cent rise in the last five years.

The allocation this year is an increase of around 27 per cent over the previous year when Rs 12,624 was earmarked for public healthcare. The budget provision for health was Rs 6,000 crore in 2019-20. The allocation for health amounts to around seven pc of the state budget.  

As per the provisions made, the highest Rs 3,003 crore has been proposed under state scheme Mukhya Mantri Swasthya Seva Mission, which includes Rs 1,400 crore for SCB Medical College and Hospital redevelopment programme.

The government has allocated Rs 2,380 crore under the flagship Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY), Rs 750 crore for transformation of hospitals under Ama Hospital initiative, Rs 646 crore under Nirmal scheme, Rs 513 crore under free drugs scheme Niramaya and Rs 211 crore under comprehensive cancer care programme.

In a bid to ensure all public health facilities have the required number of doctors and paramedics, the government will recruit 5,000 more doctors and 9,000 nurses and paramedical officers in the next fiscal for which an additional provision of Rs 229 crore has been proposed under administrative expenses.

The Health and Family Welfare department has proposed to induct 236 new ambulances worth Rs 250 crore into its fleet to reduce the average response time of the emergency vehicles from 30 minute to 20 minute. The assistance under Harishchandra Sahayata has been increased from Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 for rural areas and Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000 for urban areas.

An outlay of Rs 2,289 crore has been made for implementation of centrally sponsored schemes.Finance Minister Niranjan Pujari said the state has witnessed incredible transformation in the health sector in the last two decades.

Healthcare for all

Mukhya Mantri Swasthya Seva Mission Rs 3,003 crore
BSKY (empanelled hospitals) Rs 2,380 crore
Ama Hospital Rs 750 crore
Nirmal Rs 646 crore
Equipment Rs 110 crore
Diet Rs 71 crore
New ambulances Rs 250 crore
Niramaya  Rs 513 crore
Cancer care programme Rs 211 crore
Doctors’ recruitment Rs 229 crore

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