HYDERABAD: Telangana spent 2.1 per cent of its Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) on health expenditure, and a majority of this was out-of-pocket expenditure. These were among the statistics revealed in the National Health Accounts Estimate for India, released for the year 2017-18.
The report has retrospectively calculated the amount the various States spent on the health sector, which for Telangana was cumulatively Rs 15,789 crore. In terms of per capita expenditure, this translates to Rs 4,267.
However, the data finds that from the per capita expenditure, nearly Rs 2,120 was spent as out-of-pocket expenditure and the remaining Rs 1,698 was spent by the government. The spending from GSDP was also lower compared to other southern states like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala, which spent 3 per cent, 2.2 per cent and 4.6 per cent of their GSDPs, respectively.
In terms of the expenditure incurred for health insurance under different schemes, Telangana, with its Aarogyasri health insurance scheme, spent Rs 584 crores, finds the report. This figure is one of the highest amongst various State’s health insurance schemes.