Govt plans to step up health spend

NEW DELHI: The government is planning to increase the spending on the health front from 0.9 per cent of GDP at present to two per cent by 2005.
This was disclosed by Shatrughan Sinha, minister for health and family welfare, while addressing a conference on healthcare, jointly organised by CII and Indian Health Federation, in Delhi on Sunday.
Stating that the National Health Policy ’02 envisages increased fund allocation for the sector, he said that 55% will be devoted for providing primary medical facilities, 35% for secondary level and the rest for tertiary medical and health facilities.
A code of ethics has also been included in the NHP ’02 to ensure that patients have the right of access to information. A Medical Grants Commission will also be set up for improving standards of education in the medical colleges of the country, he informed. The minister was also of the view that areas where private sector can provide help to the public sector should be identified in order to build a public-private partnership.