Lok Sabha Question No. 3807 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-03-25
Subject: National Health Accounts Estimates
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Pradyut Bordoloi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3807 TO BE ANSWERED ON 25 th  March, 2022

## NATIONAL HEALTH ACCOUNTS ESTIMATES

## 3807: SHRI PRADYUT BORDOLOI:

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

- (a) the reasons for delay in publishing the National Health Accounts Estimates for India 2016-2017;
- (b) the time by which National Health Accounts Estimates for India 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21 are likely to be made available in the public domain;
- (c) the data on pharmaceutical expenditures as percentage of current health expenditure and Government Health Expenditure, year-wise during 2011 to 2021;
- (d) whether  the  Government  intends  to  regulate  prices  of  pharmaceutical  drugs  in  the country and if so, the details of necessary steps taken/being taken in this regard; and
- (e) the reasons for capping the price of Bharat Biotech's Covaxin vaccine at Rs. 1200 in the  midst  of  public  health  emergency  thereby  making  it  the  third  most  expensive vaccine globally, despite being developed indigenously?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (DR. BHARATI PRAVIN PAWAR)

(a) to (c): National Health Accounts (NHA), depict health expenditures and flow of funds in both  Government  and  private  sector  in  the  country  according  to  the  global  framework  of System  of  Health  Accounts  2011.  The  release  of  NHA  Estimates  depends  upon  the availability  of  data  from  multiple  sources  on  which  the  estimates  are  based.  In  NHA, Government expenditure is based upon the actual expenditure by both Centre and the States, which become available only after the lag of two years.

The National Health Accounts (NHA) Estimates for 2016-17  was published in October 2019. The  National  Health  Accounts  Estimates  for  2017-18  was  published  in  2021  due  to unprecedented situation of COVID-19.

As  per  available  National  Health  Account  Estimates  for  India,  the  data  on  Government Health Expenditure, Current Health Expenditure &  Pharmaceutical  Expenditure  as a percentage of Current Health Expenditure is given in the table below:

|                                                                        | 2017-18   | 2016-17   | 2015-16   | 2014-15   | 2013-14   |
|------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| Government Health Expenditure (Rs. in crore)                           | 2,31,104  | 1,88,010  | 1,61,863  | 1,39,949  | 1,29,778  |
| Current Health Expenditure (Rs. in crore)                              | 5,01,760  | 5,39,371  | 4,95,190  | 4,51,286  | 4,21,194  |
| Pharmaceutical expenditure as percentage of current health expenditure | 33.4%     | 36.8%     | 35.4%     | 37.9%     | 39.6%     |

Source: National Health Accounts Estimates for India

(d)  :  Drug  Price  Control  Order  (DPCO)  2013  has  been  promulgated  based  on  National Pharmaceutical  Pricing  Policy  2012.  Accordingly,  the  National  Pharmaceutical  Pricing Authority  (NPPA)  fixes  the  ceiling  price  of  scheduled  medicines  as  specified  in  the  first schedule of the DPCO, 2013 in accordance with the provisions of the DPCO to ensure their affordability.

All manufacturers of these scheduled drugs are required to sell their products at a price equal to or lower than the ceiling price. Further, NPPA monitors the prices of non-scheduled drugs so as to ensure that increase in their Maximum Retail Price (MRP) is not more than 10% of what was prevalent during the preceding twelve months.

(e):    The  vaccine  manufacturers  can  fix  the  price  of  vaccine  for  procurement  by  Private Hospitals,  which  has  to  be  declared  in  a  transparent  manner.  Under  National  COVID-19 Vaccination Programme, COVID-19 vaccine is available free of cost for all citizens above 12 years  of  age  irrespective  of  their  socio-economic  status  at  all  Government  COVID-19 Vaccination Centres.