India stands committed to increase its overall health allocations to 2.5 pc of its GDP: Nadda

Union Health Minister J P Nadda said Thursday India has set an example by increasing its domestic financial allocation for health and stands committed to increase its overall health allocations to 2.5 pc of its GDP, as enunciated in the 2017 National Health Policy.

In his address at the inauguration of India Showcase Event' as part of the preparatory meeting of the sixth Global Fund replenishment here, Nadda said India has continued to focus on improving health indicators and other determinants of wellness.

He said India is prioritising resource allocations for tuberculosis with more than USD 2 billion being invested in the implementation of the National Strategic Plan to end TB by 2025.

"This amount is separate from the additional amount of USD 100 million being invested for nutritional support to TB patients under the Nikshay Poshan Yojna," he stressed.

Nadda said, India is making efforts to end TB by 2025, five years ahead of the SDG target.

"By 2024, the target is to ensure that 95 per cent of HIV positive people in the country know their status, 95 per cent of those who know their status are on treatment and 95 pc of those who are on treatment experience effective viral load suppression," he said.

He said a WHO malaria report has singled out India for its impressive gains.

Among the high-burden countries, only India showed a substantial decline in disease burden, with a 24-per cent drop in cases. India is on course to meet the goal of ending malaria by 2030, he asserted.

He also said that the Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana, a national scheme which envisions health assurance of Rs 5 lakh per family per year, has covered nearly 1.1 million people in just 135 days of its rollout.

Minister of State for Health Ashwini Kumar Choubey reaffirmed the government's commitment to make India free of TB, malaria and HIV/AIDS.

Peter Sands, executive director of Global Fund, stated that India's hosting of the preparatory meeting of Global Fund's sixth replenishment demonstrates country's strong commitment to fighting the diseases in India, and its leadership in global health.

India is in a sustained partnership with Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and Malaria since 2002 as a recipient as well as a donor.

A high-level preparatory meeting for the sixth replenishment conference is being hosted by India on February 7-8 in New Delhi. The meeting will set the stage for Global Fund to launch its investment case for its sixth replenishment conference and its fund mobilization campaign.