New Delhi: The government is likely to pump more money into primary healthcare and announce over 5,000 more health centres across the country in the coming interim budget, taking cue from its successful rollout of the health insurance scheme under Ayushman Bharat.

The budget allocation for health is likely to increase by 5% this year from Rs 52,800 crore earmarked in 2017-18. The government is also expected to announce major initiatives to strengthen trauma and emergency care across public and private sectors, sources said. Health and wellness centres — which will cater to people’s primary healthcare needs — is the other leg of the Ayushman Bharat scheme. These centres will provide comprehensive healthcare, including for non-communicable diseases and maternal and child health services. These centres will also provide free essential drugs and diagnostic services. So far, the government has approved 15,000 such centres and plans to start another 5,000-10,000 by next year

Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna, the secondary and tertiary care arm of Ayushman Bharat, may also see rise in allocation this year from Rs 2,000 crore in 2017-18. The state-run health insurance scheme aims to provide an annual cover of Rs 5 lakh to around 50 crore beneficiaries in about 10.7 crore deprived families. The scheme is projected to cost around Rs 12,000 crore… (TOI, Jan 27, 2019)