HYDERABAD: Expectation for better funds allocation in healthcare is high from the Union Budget on February 1.
From tax exemptions to focus on rare diseases, healthcare personnel and doctors are unanimously of the view that budget allocation has to be increased by at least three-folds, as compared to last year for all-round development in medicine.
Speaking to Express, Dr B Nagender, superintendent, Osmania General Hospital (OGH) said, “I feel that a part of the allocation should be put to use in research for treatment of rare diseases such as Haemophilia, auto-immune diseases and cystic fibrosis. Additionally, a part of the budget should be allocated for work on diabetes, that has recently emerged as a disease that affects all classes of people, and is not just limited to the rich.”
Adding to this, Dr Prathap Reddy, president, Indian Medical Association (IMA), Telangana, rallied heavily for tax exemptions.
He said, “A major chunk of the allocation needs to be spent on fixing and developing rural healthcare. Apart from that, tax exemptions need to be provided on basic equipment purchase for government hospitals, donations made to public medical institutions, and research equipment for medical colleges.”
Critical of last year’s budget, senior doctor and general secretary of IMA, Telangana, Sanjeev Yadav, said, “If the allocation remains the same as last year, a majority of it will go on paying salaries to doctors, nurses and stipends to other personnel. This will leave no scope for expenditure of required infrastructure, state-of-art medical equipment, and public campaigns.”
He added, “For hospitals like Gandhi or OGH, medical equipment that is at par with private hospitals to perform simple procedures such as laparoscopies, is the need of the hour. Additionally, there should be better allocation for sanitation, as most of bouts of influenza and infection in 2019 were due to lack of sanitation and cleanliness.”