{"id":39476,"date":"2025-03-20T19:08:08","date_gmt":"2025-03-20T13:38:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=39476"},"modified":"2025-03-20T19:08:10","modified_gmt":"2025-03-20T13:38:10","slug":"govt-spending-for-healthcare-increased-union-health-ministry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/20-03-2025\/govt-spending-for-healthcare-increased-union-health-ministry","title":{"rendered":"Govt. Spending for Healthcare Increased: Union Health Ministry"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/Health\/Governance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda, while addressing the Rajya Sabha, highlighted the <strong>government&#8217;s policy shift towards a comprehensive and inclusive healthcare model under the National Health Policy 2017.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Background<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India\u2019s healthcare system has evolved from a <strong>curative approach (post-disease treatment)<\/strong> to a preventive and <strong>holistic approach (early detection and wellness promotion).\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Key Milestones in Healthcare Development:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>1946 \u2013 Bhore Committee recommends universal healthcare.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>1983 \u2013 First National Health Policy (NHP) prioritizes primary health.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2005 \u2013 National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) launched.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2017 \u2013 National Health Policy (NHP) shifts focus from curative to preventive healthcare.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2018 \u2013 Ayushman Bharat launched, marking a paradigm shift.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that countries spend at least <strong>5% of GDP on healthcare.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ebecf0\"><thead><tr><th class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\"><strong>Year<\/strong><\/th><th class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\"><strong>India\u2019s Healthcare Expenditure as % of GDP<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\"><strong>2013-14<\/strong><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\"><strong>1.15%<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\"><strong>2017<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\"><strong>1.35% (Post National Health Policy)<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\"><strong>2025<\/strong><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\"><strong>1.84% (Target: 2.5%)<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Healthcare Sector of India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Healthcare Sector: <\/strong>It comprises hospitals, medical devices, clinical trials, outsourcing, telemedicine, medical tourism, health insurance and medical equipment.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>India\u2019s healthcare delivery system is categorised into<strong> two major components &#8211; public and private.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Public Sector:<\/strong> It comprises limited secondary and tertiary care institutions in key cities and focuses on providing basic healthcare facilities in the form of <strong>Primary Healthcare Centers (PHCs) in rural areas.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Private Sector: <\/strong>The private sector provides the majority of secondary, tertiary, and quaternary care institutions with a major concentration in metros, tier-I, and tier-II cities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Structure of Financing of Public Healthcare Sector in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In India, <strong>states bear the responsibility for public health and sanitation, <\/strong>including hospitals and clinics.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare<\/strong> broadly takes responsibility for <strong>formulating policy for public health.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It provides <strong>administrative and financial support to states <\/strong>to operate public health facilities and infrastructure, and to <strong>deal with specific health issues, such as maternal health and nutrition.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It also establishes and manages Medical Institutes of National Importance, such as AIIMS, along with healthcare institutions in Union Territories, including Delhi.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Ministry comprises:<\/strong> The Department of Health and Family Welfare, which is responsible for implementing public health schemes and regulating medical education,\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>And the Department of Health Research which is responsible for conducting medical research.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Concerns with Low Public Expenditure on Healthcare<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This has resulted in <strong>inadequate health infrastructure<\/strong> including human resources, and slow improvement in key health indicators.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Limited Access to Healthcare Services:<\/strong> Low public spending hampers accessibility to healthcare services, particularly in rural and remote areas where infrastructure is already lacking.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This exacerbates health disparities between urban and rural populations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Neglected Preventive and Primary Care:<\/strong> A large portion of healthcare spending in India is directed towards tertiary care, neglecting preventive and primary healthcare services.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Higher Disease Burden:<\/strong> Low public spending on healthcare contributes to a higher burden of preventable diseases such as communicable diseases, malnutrition, and maternal and child health issues.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Increased Out-of-Pocket Expenditure:<\/strong> The lack of public healthcare infrastructure has led people to <strong>use private health services more,<\/strong> and that has <strong>increased the financial burden on citizens.<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Recent steps Taken by the Government for Strengthening Healthcare Sector<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>National Health Policy 2017: <\/strong>It outlines the government&#8217;s vision to achieve the highest possible level of health and well-being for all and emphasizes preventive and promotive healthcare.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Equal treatment for modern medicine and traditional systems (Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, Homeopathy).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>All India Institute of Medical Research is now promoting research on traditional medical systems and a comprehensive approach.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ayushman Arogya Mandirs: <\/strong>1.75 lakh health centers functioning with 369 crore visits.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Focus on screening hypertension, blood pressure, and diabetes for people over 30 years.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>National Digital Health Mission (NDHM): <\/strong>Launched in 2020, NDHM aims to create a digital health ecosystem, including health IDs for citizens and the establishment of a national digital health infrastructure.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Health and Wellness Centers (HWCs): <\/strong>The government is working towards transforming primary health centers into HWCs to provide comprehensive primary healthcare services, including preventive and promotive care.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY): <\/strong>PMSSY aims to enhance tertiary care capacities and strengthen medical education in the country by setting up new AIIMS institutions and upgrading existing government medical colleges.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Research and Development Initiatives: <\/strong>The government has been encouraging research and development in healthcare, including support for the development of vaccines, drugs, and medical technologies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>National Medical Commission (NMC) Act: <\/strong>The NMC Act, passed in 2019, aims to bring reforms in medical education and practice by replacing the Medical Council of India (MCI) and promoting transparency and accountability.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Jan Aushadhi Scheme: <\/strong>The Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) aims to provide quality generic medicines at affordable prices through Jan Aushadhi Kendras.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The COVID-19 pandemic had shown the cracks in India\u2019s health system and highlighted the <strong>need for increased public investment in healthcare.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Effective primary health care can prevent the occurrence of more serious health issues, meaning that overall health outcomes can be improved significantly through investing in primary healthcare.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/government-spending-for-healthcare-increased-under-modi-regime-nadda\/article69350522.ece#:~:text=Mr.%20Nadda%20said%20the%20expenditure,towards%20the%20target%20of%202.5%25.\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda, while addressing the Rajya Sabha, highlighted the government&#8217;s policy shift towards a comprehensive and inclusive healthcare model under the National Health Policy 2017.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39476","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39476","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39476"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39476\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39478,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39476\/revisions\/39478"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39476"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39476"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39476"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}