New fund to meet the public health spending target
Published On: Monday, January 25, 2021 | By: Team KnowMyStock
Due to an increased demand for a higher health care allocation, the government may set up a new fund to meet the public health spending target of 2.5 percent of GDP by 2025. Both, the Centre and states would provide for the fund to achieve the goal, the Union Budget may propose. At present, the country’s total health expenditure is 1.4 percent of GDP — much lower than many emerging economies in the world. The fund, if created, would be under the ‘Pradhan Mantri’ umbrella and will focus on both short- and long-term priorities of the sector, according to the government officials. The primary objective of the new fund will be to spend 25 percent on primary health care and the rest on infrastructure as well as research and development. It would also provide additional money to the government’s existing health care schemes such as Ayushman Bharat.
The fund structure and outlay could be part of the upcoming Budget of 2021-22, scheduled to be presented on February 1, according to a source.
Sources indicated that a 4 per cent health and education cess on personal income and corporate tax could go to the new health care fund. Further, this fund would have no restriction on its spending in a particular fiscal year as it will be a part of the public fund which won’t lapse if not spent in a given time period.
This cess was introduced in Union Budget 2018 by then finance minister Arun Jaitley.
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