Reaction to 2017-18 Budget – Dr Prem Nair, Medical Director, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi

New Delhi, February 04, 2017: Budget allocation in providing clean water and sanitation will go a long way in bringing India up to global standards

Women and children’s health is a vital area that needs attention as we have the poorest maternal and foetal morbidity and mortality figures. The additional funding will go a long way in bringing India up to global standards. It is essential to co-opt the private sector in this endeavour.

Transformation of Primary Health Centres to wellness centres will be a landmark change. If we can demonstrate a decline in non-communicable disease with early detection of malignancy and vascular diseases, it will be phenomenal.

A little disappointed that additional allocations for improved re-imbursements for public insurance programs including Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna (RSBY) has not materialised. Patient contributory RSBY coverage would be a great help for the unorganised sector with less burden to the tax payer. This will accelerate our movement towards universal healthcare.