19-02-2013, 03:59 PM
PUBLIC HEALTH INVESTMENT INCREASES SUBSTANTIALLY
ABSTRACT
There has been an increase in public health investment in the country. The combined
revenue and capital expenditure of the Centre and states on medical and public health, water
supply and sanitation and family welfare has increased from Rs.53,057.80 crore in 2006-07 to
Rs. 96,672.79 crore in 2010-11 (BE). In addition to increasing resource allocation for the
Health Sector the Government is also playing a critical role in facilitating access to health
care delivery channels, public and private through subsidized health, insurance schemes like
the RSBY for providing basic health care to poor and marginal workers. The Rasthriya
Swasthaya Bima Yojana (RSBY) is being extended to cover MGNREGA beneficiaries and
beedi workers. This has been stated in Economic Survey 2011-12, presented by the Finance
Minister, Sh. Pranab Mukherjee in the Lok Sabha today.
The Survey highlights that the Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK) was
launched on 1st June, 2011 to give free entitlements to pregnant women and sick newborns
for cashless delivery, C-Section, drugs and consumables, diagnostics, diet during stay in the
health institutions, provision of blood, exemption from user charges, transport from home to
health institutions, transport between facilities in case of referral, and drop back from
Institutions to home. A sum of Rs. 1437 crore has been allocated to the states during 2011-12
under the JSSK. In order to reach out to difficult, inaccessible, backward and under-served
areas with poor health indicators, 264 high focus districts in 21 states have been identified
based on concentration of SC/ST population and presence of left wing extremism for focused
attention. A Mother and Child Tracking system has been introduced, which provides
complete data of the mothers with their addresses, telephone numbers, etc. for effective
monitoring of ante-natal and post-natal check-up of mothers and immunization services.
The Survey also points out that the Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), which targets
lowering of Maternal Mortality Ratio by ensuring that deliveries are conducted by skilled
birth attendants, has shown rapid growth in last three years, with number of beneficiaries
rising to 106.96 lakh in 2010-11 from 90.37 lakh in 2008-09. The issue of governance,
transparency, and grievance redressal mechanisms are now the thrust areas for the JSY.