Budget 2020 provides additional Rs 69,000 cr for health sector: Finance Minister

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday said that the Union Budget 2020 provides an additional Rs 69,000 crore for the health sector.

"Budget 2020 provides an additional Rs 69,000 crore for the health sector," she said during her budget speech.

The Finance Minister proposed to attach a medical college to a district hospital in PPP mode. She said details of the scheme will be worked out soon.

"There is a shortage of qualified medical doctors both general practitioners and specialists; it is proposed to attach a medical college to a district hospital in PPP mode; details of the scheme to be worked out soon," she said during her budget speech.

"Viability gap funding window to be set up to cover hospitals, with priority given to aspirational districts that don't have hospitals empanelled under Ayushman Bharat scheme," she announced.

She also proposed to expand Jan Aushadhi Kendras in all districts of the country to provide medicines at affordable rates.

The Finance Minister announced that the total allocation proposed for Swachh Bharat Mission is Rs 12,300 crore.

The Finance Minister said the NDA government is "committed to Open Defecation Free (ODF) plus in order to sustain ODF behavior and to ensure no one is left behind.