Health sector gets Rs 34,488-cr, up by 13.24%

The Health sector has got a total outlay of Rs 34,488 crore in the budget estimates for 2012-13, which is 13.24% more than the budget estimates of Rs 30,456 for the ongoing fiscal.

The plan outlay for the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is up by about 14% at Rs 30,477 crore in 2012-13, which is Rs 3,717 crore more than the plan outlay of Rs 26,760 crore of 2011-12.

There is a total non-plan outlay of Rs 4,011 crore in the budget estimates for 2012-13.

Presenting the Union Budget, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee also announced an increase in the allocations for the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) to Rs 20,822 crore for 2012-13, around 15% more than Rs 18,115 crore for 2011-12, besides announcing the launch of National Urban Health Mission for encompassing the primary healthcare needs of people in urban areas.

Of the total Plan health outlay in budget estimates for 2012-13, the Department of Health and Family Welfare gets the major chunk of Rs 27,127 crore, which is Rs 3,567 crore (15%) more than Rs 23,560 crore in the budget estimates for the current year.

The Department of Ayurvedi, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) gets a total plan outlay of Rs 990 crore in budget estimates for 2012-13, up 10% from Rs 900 crore allocated in budget estimates for 2011-12.

A total of Rs 660 crore have been earmarked for the Department of Health Research in budget estimates for the coming fiscal, which is also 10% higher from Rs 600 crore earmarked in the budget estimates for 2011-12.

There has been no change in the allocation for Department of AIDS Control in the budget estimates for 2012-13, where a sum of Rs 1,700 crore (same last year) has been earmarked.