The health sector has got a much-needed boost with budget allocation for the financial year 2022-23 being 78.5% more than the previous fiscal even as the Telangana government seeks to build a robust healthcare network across the State.
While ₹6,295 crore was allotted to the sector in 2021-22, the outlay has been increased to ₹11,237 crore for 2022-23, an increase of ₹4,942 crore in sheer numbers.
The budget allotted to the Health sector for 2022-23 is more than the past two fiscals and higher in terms of percentage of the total budget for the State. The ₹11,237 crore outlay this year constitutes 4.37% of the total ₹2.56 crore.
The allocation includes ₹5,743 crore under ‘Scheme Expenditure’ category, and ₹4,968 crore under ‘Establishment Expenditure’ category. Of the two categories, the former is usually focussed on to determine if spending on any project has increased.
Areas of spending
For 2022-23, the allocation has increased for various aspects under the Scheme Expenditure — ₹1,000 crore for ‘Construction of Medical Colleges and Hospitals’, and ₹1,000 crore for Construction of Super Specialty Hospitals’. Allocation to the two categories in the previous fiscal was zero.
Besides this, the allocation has either increased, or made for purchase of surgical consumables, diagnostic reagents and disposables.
The allocation to the ‘National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer and Diabetics, Cardiovascular Diseases and Strokes’ has increased from ₹5 crore to ₹308 crore.
The Scheme Expenditure for primary health centres under Director of Public Health did not see any increase. It was the same for ‘Prevention and Control of Diseases’.
