Budget And Beyond

Budget And Beyond

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 A concrete push on UHC, but foundations needs to be strong enough

The Union Minister’s announcements for healthcare has made the public health sector and private healthcare players very optimistic of the coming times. According to the Finance Minister, the ambitious plan to roll out healthcare coverage for 10 crore families will make it the world’s largest government funded healthcare programme. The private sector looks at this as a great opportunity to partner with the government and expand their businesses. Express Healthcare looks at the real impact of the Union Budget on the healthcare sector

Decades of low public investment in the healthcare space has resulted in two health systems co-existing under one flag world class care for those with ample monetary backing and connections to access it, and for the rest, a stark choice between poor quality services or financial ruin – or very often both.

Now, under the proposed Ayushman Bharat Programme, the government has taken a major step towards a solution to this crisis for hundreds of citizens. Properly designed, funded and implemented, the scheme represents a once-in a-generation opportunity to improve the health and wealth of India’s under-privileged.