New Delhi, Jagran Bureau. In the upcoming budget, there may be important provisions to make the health services smooth and bring them in the reach of common man. This is clearly indicated in the Economic Survey. It lays down the need to increase the budget allocation on health sector from the current one percent of GDP to 2.5 to three percent. Along with this it has been recommended to adopt digital platform like Telemedicine in a big way to provide affordable and better healthcare to the last person of the society.
The Economic Survey showed a direct correlation between government spending on health services and the burden of treatment on the common man. According to this, in the event of the government spending on health services increasing from one percent of GDP to 2.5 to three percent, the burden of treatment expenditure on common people will be reduced by 35-65 percent. This will save a large number of people from poverty. According to the Economic Survey, India remains in the category of poor and low income countries in providing healthcare to the common people. India ranks 145 out of 180 countries in providing better and quality healthcare. This needs to be fixed.
The Economic Survey praised Ayushman Bharat and the National Health Mission, stating the need to carry them forward. But concern has also been expressed over the lack of hegemony and regulation of the private sector in health services. It lays down the need to set up a regulator for the private sector, so that services can be made uniform.
There are indications from the Economic Survey that there may be special provision in the budget to promote digital health mission and telemedicine. According to it, an app like e-Sanjeevani was instrumental for providing better health services to the people in remote villages during the Corona period. This needs to be adopted on a larger scale.
These digital platforms equipped with technology-based and artificial intelligence will be able to provide quality health services to the common people. The Economic Survey has advised the central and state governments to implement it in mission mode. The Central Government has at present launched the pilot project of Digital Health Mission. Apparently in the next financial year it can be implemented across the country.
