Quality medical services still out of reach of poor: Naidu

The poor are deprived of quality medical services despite the Centre allocating 4 per cent of the GDP towards the health sector in the country which faces a "deficit" of 4 lakh medical professionals, Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said today.
"Though the Union Government allocated funds to the extent of 4 per cent of the GDP towards health services, the poor are still unable to get quality health services," he said.
In view of this, he said, the Government will consider to allocate more funds for health services in the future.
The country faces a huge deficit of 4 lakh medical professionals, the Urban Development Minister said while inaugurating a health camp organised by Swarna Bharat Trust at Atkur village near here in Krishna district.

The Trust is run by Deepa Venkat, Naidu's daughter.
"We have just one medical professional (doctor) per 1,700 people as against a minimum ratio of 1:1,000 (stipulated by WHO)," the Minister said.
The NDA Government will launch a new health insurance policy for the poor on April 1 for which a sum of Rs 1,500 crore has been allocated in the 2016-17 Budget, he said.