The government now must look at the next crisis of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD)s, says, Mr. Amol Naikawadi, Joint Managing Director, Indus Health Plus, said.
India, which has the second-highest caseload of coronavirus in the world after the United States, currently spends approximately 1% of its gross domestic product on health, which is among the lowest in any global economy.
Over the next six years, the government will introduce a new federal health system with an outlay of about 641 billion Indian rupees ($ 8.80 billion), Nirmala Sitharaman told Parliament.
Mr. Amol Naikawadi said, “The 2021 Union Budget looks optimistic for the healthcare sector. With Aatma Nirbhar Health Yojana, the sector will get a boost from a public health infrastructure standpoint. The initiative will enhance the quality of healthcare and strengthen the national center for diseases control in the country. In addition, due to this, most of the health needs of the low-income group in both urban and rural areas will be taken care of. Besides, Mission Poshan 2.0 and Jal Jeevan Mission will also help in improving public health and wellness.”
“In my opinion, the budget should have also given some preference to private healthcare segment as well that has been a strong pillar of support during the pandemic. Apart from that, the focus should have been more on the prevention of NCDs, which are mostly asymptotic at the early stages but eventually treatment becomes difficult and expensive,” added Mr. Naikawadi.
He said, “The further fortification by setting up additional 17,000 rural and 11,000 urban health and wellness centers along with integrated public health labs is also a good decision. However, emphasis on the preventive healthcare segment would have lowered the NCDs burden and the overall health expenses of the country.”