AAP to give top priority to health in its second Budget

After announcing highest ever allocation for education in its maiden Budget, the AAP government is likely to make the health sector its top priority in its second Budget for 2016-17. In terms of budgetary allocations, the health sector was on second priority in the previous Budget with Rs 4,787 crore while education had received Rs 9,836 crore.

“The government will focus on developing basic infrastructure facilities on the vision of three-tier system of health facilities — mohalla clinics, aam aadmi polyclinics and multi-specialty hospitals. It will require investment so is likely to get maximum budgetary allocation for the upcoming financial year,” said a senior government officer. 

“The unexpended Budget for the education sector will be re-allocated for implementation of the projects,” he added.  In his first Budget, Delhi’s deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who also holds charge of Finance Department had increased the Budget for education by 106 per cent than the previous years. The health department had received a hike of 23 per cent in the Budget allocations of 2014-15.

In the first two years, the AAP government had a target to set up 1,000 mohalla clinics but only one such clinic could be opened in Peeragarhi with a cost of Rs 20 lakh. “Earlier, the cost of opening such a clinic was Rs 4 crore. We have achieved this target by using latest technologies,” said Satyendra Jain, Delhi’s health minister. 

According to sources, the decision to focus on the health sector was taken after one mohalla clinic could be opened against a target of 500 such clinics in 2015-16. Furthermore, the government is also emphasising to deliver on its promise of 70 aam aadmi polyclinics — one in each Assembly constituency in the next 2-3 years. So far, only two such polyclinics have been opened. 

The other big promise includes adding up 10,000 hospital beds for which the government needs to open new hospitals besides increasing beds in some of the existing ones and those that are under construction hospitals. Presently, there are 109 government hospitals in the city and one hospital bed for each 824 people.