The state budget expenditure presented by Finance Minister Kn Balagopal in the Congress on Healthcare, which excludes health-related expenditures such as water and sanitation, is around 3,000 crore, accounting for 1.74% of the proposed total government expenditure.
Given the World Health Organization's recommendation that the government designates at least 5% of annual spending in the health sector, it will recognize that it is not a substantial amount or allocation.
The issue of government poor spending in the health sector has plagued public health-conscious nations like Kerala for the past decades.
Over the years, several suggestions have been repeated to hike allocations to sectors, including targeted health halts related to income or assets and the “sin tax” on tobacco and alcohol. It is sad to note that such proposals have not been taken seriously by governments, including the current administration.
Still, it is a matter of comfort that the government has not cut its healthcare-related spending and has not maintained its proposed spending in the sector. That is something we should support in the current Indian scenario where governments spend on governments in the health sector are systematically dry.
The budget also poses the issue of government control in the health sector. Government involvement in the sector is very important as health spending appears to have increased the economic burden on many families in Kerala.
We also see that reducing government spending in the health sector directly benefits the booming private sector that violates all codes of ethics of blatant advertising and canvas business.
But the government remains silent audience.
It would have been a commendable exercise for the state if it had been addressed by the Finance Minister within the budget. It would also benefit many families, both healthy and money issues.
Based on budget proposals, the state government appears to be focusing on fighting non-communicable diseases. It is a commendable effort as the state seemed to grasp the non-communicable epidemic.
If the government can achieve its goal of creating treatment facilities for heart, neurology and kidney diseases at the district level, the ocean will change to the lives of a population of millions. However, it is our experience that many government initiatives cannot provide due to the inadequate human resources and rarity of utilities such as running water and electricity.
The government needs to evolve healthy HR policies in the health sector to provide promised services on time.
While the emphasis on chronic disease care is commendable, governments should also pay attention to preventing chronic diseases. There is no attention paid to preventing chronic diseases in the state, except for the proposal to set up facilities for elders.
Even token recognition of health issues related to the use of tobacco, alcohol and other addiction substances would be commendable in this context to address the lack of facilities for physical activity.
The budget should have paid some attention to creating executives of professionals with public health skills with the right career opportunities. This helps not only fight non-communicable diseases, but also avoid contagious diseases and epidemics, and continually analyse the health status of the state.
(V. Ramankutti is the research director of the Amara Institute of Medicine and Amara Cancer Research Center.
Published – February 7, 2025 09:10 PM IST
