Ayush gets Rs.1,069 crore in Union budget 2014-2015

Finance Minister P. Chidambaram on Monday presented the Union Budget 2014-2015. In which he announced the allocation of Rs.30,145 crore to the health ministry in the interim budget for 2014-15, a move hailed as "positive" by the health sector.

The department of health research has been allocated Rs.726 crore while the department of AIDS control has been given Rs.1,785 crore.

The department of ayurveda, homeopathy, yoga, naturopathy, unani and siddha (AYUSH) has been given Rs.1,069 crore.

Flagship schemes like the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana, aimed at strengthening the tertiary sector, has been given Rs.1,456 crore.

Sangita Reddy, executive director (operations) at the Apollo Hospitals said: "Overall, it is a positive interim budget. I welcome the finance minister's statement about treating universal health care as a national priority."

"The government has to now focus on creating an effective mechanism to fund health care costs of the masses," she said. 

Finance Minister also accounted on the actions completed for the previous budget 2013-201:

One of the major achievements of the previous year which the Finance Minister would like to take credit for is the new National Health Mission that combines the rural mission and the proposed urban mission which was promised Rs 21,239 crore, an increase of 24.3 per cent over the previous year. The status report says the entire budgetary support of Rs 21,239 crore has been provided. Similarly, Chidambaram had promised to give Rs 4,727 crore for medical education, training and research, which was allocated promptly.

The other major ‘action completed’ claims include Rs 150 crore for the National Programme for the Health Care of Elderly, Rs 1,650 crore to set up  six AIIMS type super specialty hospitals.

 Source: Bussiness Standard