Public Healthcare Expenditure To Be Increased To Prepare For Future Pandemics: FM Announces Reforms

The union government has decided to increase its expenditure on Health in order to prepare India better deal with any future COVID-19-like pandemics, Finance Minister (FM) Nirmala Sitharaman said on Sunday (17 May).

The Finance Minister also announced that the government is going to invest in grass root health institutions in order to “ramp up Health and Wellness Centres in rural and urban areas. “All districts will have an infectious diseases’ block in their hospitals,” said the FM.

In order to increase the testing capacity of the country in future, integrated public health laboratories will be setup in all districts across India. Block level labs and public health units will also be opened to manage similar health crisis in future.

The Finance Minister today held her fifth press conference to announce the last tranche of economic stimulus package and reforms under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan (Self-reliant India campaign).