'Healthcare has Atlast taken centre level in Budget'

Policies to begin new health protection scheme and making quality medicines present at affordable costs with plans to launch 3,000 Jan Aushadhi stores proposed in the Budget will help more people in getting access to proper healthcare, claim industry players. Reacting to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's proposals in the Budget of year 2016-17, Apollo Hospitals Group Chairman Prathap C Reddy stated: "Healthcare has at last taken the centre level in the Budget. The Health Protection Scheme of Rs 1 lakh to cover unforeseen sicknesses in poor families with an extra Rs 30,000 for senior people is a long-awaited and welcome level in deepening approach." Additionally, the government's strategy to add 3,000 pharmacies under the Jan Aushadhi Yojana to offer generic drugs at affordable amounts is a commendable step, he added. Depicting similar perspectives, industry body NATHEALTH Secretary General Anjan Bose stated: "Higher allocation and spending should empower universal healthcare...15% increase in government spending on the social sectors with concentration on healthcare should go a long way in making sure the universal health coverage." The healthcare industry is, although, concerned since the government has not dealt the problem of recent increase in import duty on medical equipment and tools, Bose claimed. In budget speech, Jaitley today claimed that catastrophic health occasions are the single most significant cause of unforeseen out-of-pocket expenditure which pushes lakhs of households below the poverty line each year.
In order to assist poor and financially weak families, "the government will begin a latest health protection scheme which will give health cover up to Rs 1 lakh per family. For senior citizens of about age 60 years and above belonging to this category, an additional top-up package up to Rs 30,000 will be given," Jaitley claimed.