Lok Sabha Question No. 228 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-02-02
Subject: Expenditure on Health Sector
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: DHARMENDRA YADAV, PRITAM GOPINATH MUNDE, VINAYAK BHAURAO RAUT, SHIVAJI ADHALRAO PATIL, ANANDRAO  ADSUL, SHRIKANT EKNATH SHINDE, Shrirang Appa Barne

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 228 ND

TO BE ANSWERED ON 2 FEBRUARY, 2018

## EXPENDITURE ON HEALT H SECTOR

## 228. SHRI DHARMENDRA YADAV:

DR. PRITAM GOPINATH MUNDE:

SHRI VINAYAK BHAURAO RAUT:

SHRI ADHALRAO PATIL SHIVAJIRAO:

SHRI ANANDRAO ADSUL:

DR. SHRIKANT EKNATH SHINDE:

SHRI SHRIRANG APPA BHARNE:

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  Government  has  set  any arget  for  percentage  expenditure  of  GDP on health sector;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the actual expenditure incurred during each of the last ree years;
- (c)  whether  the  country  is  failing  to utilize  the  budget  allocated  to  Health Ministry  and had recently returned over Rs. 1,500 crore of the unutilized funds and if so, the reasons thereof;
- (d) whether the Government has set new target of expenditure on health sector to be achieved by 2025;
- (e) if so, the details thereof and plan prepared by t he Government to achieve it;
- (f) whether the Government has decided to introduce health cess, similar to education cess to generate funds from special commodity taxes such as alcohol and tobacco; and
- (g) if so, the details thereof and the other alternati ves being considered by the Government in this regard?

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND

## ANSWER FAMILY WELFARE

(SMT. ANUPRIYA PATEL

## )

- (a) & (b): The National Health Policy proposes raising public health expenditure to 2.5% the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in a time bound manner by 2025.

As  per  Economic  Survey  2017 - 18  (Volume - II)    brought  out  by  Ministry  of  Finance, expenditure by Government (Central and State Governments combined) on health as percentag of GDP for last three years is  as under :

- (i)    2014 - 15 -1.2%

- (ii)   20 15- 16 -1.1%

- (iii)  2016 - 17 (RE) - 1.5%

(c) : The  Ministry  of  Health  and  Family  Welfare  had  surrendered  savings  amounting  t Rs.2086.04 crore for the year 2016 - 17.

(d) & (e): The  National  Health  Policy,  2017  proposes  raising  public  health  expe nditure progressively to 2.5% of the GDP by 2025. The policy envisages that the resource allocat States  will  be  linked  with  State  development  indicators,  absorptive  capacity  and  fi indicators. The States would be incentivised for incremental S tat  resources for public health expenditure. General taxation will remain the predominant means for financing care.

(f) & (g): The  National  Health  Policy,  2017  has  recommended  for  imposing  taxes  on specific commodities -such as the taxes on tobacco, alc ohol and foods having negative impact on health, taxes on extractive industries and pollution cess. Funds available under Corporat Responsibility would also be leveraged for well -focus d programmes aiming to address health goals. The finance Minist er in his Budget Speech on 01 st February, 2018 has announced a four percent 'Health and Education Cess'.