FM gives booster dose to healthcare sector in Budget 2021-22
Presented in the backdrop of COVID-19 pandemic the Budget 2021-22 has a considerable increase of 137 per cent in investment allocation for Health and Wellbeing. The Finance Minister (FM) Nirmala Sitharaman has outlaid a massive Rs 2,23,846 crore in the budget for health infrastructure.
The FM has also announced Aatma Nirbhhar Swasth Bharat Yojana to be launched with Rs 64,180 crore outlay over the next 6 years for capacity enhancement of primary, secondary and tertiary health care systems. A part of the designated fund will also be invested on creating new institutions besides strengthening the existing institutions.
The scheme encompasses setting up of integrated public health labs across all the districts and 3382 block public health units in 11 states, creating support for 11,024 urban and 17,788 rural health and wellness centres. The scheme also proposes to establish critical care hospital blocks in 12 central institutions and 602 districts, strengthening the entire National Centre for Disease Control along with 20 metropolitan health surveiliance units and 5 regional branches, setting up of a national institution for One Health, a Regional Research Platform for WHO South East Asia Region
The policy also proposes 9 Bio-Safety Level III laboratories and 4 regional National Institutes for Virology, Operationalization of seventeen new public health units, besides strengthening of 33 existing public health units at 7 land crossings, 11 seaports and 32 airports, among others. Expansion of Integrated Health Information Portal to all the states and UTs to connect all public health labs, setting up of nine Bio-safety level III setting up of fifty Health Emergency Operational Centres, Setting up a national institution for One Health which is a Regional Research Platform for WHO South East Asia Region
