Delhi’s health budget is down by 1.6 percent this year, following significant boost previous year

A significant portion of this year’s Delhi health budget has been set aside for the growth of the capital’s health infrastructure. The total budget for the industry for 2022-23 was Rs 9,769 crore, a 1.6 percent decrease from the previous year’s allocation of Rs 9,934 crore.This is the first time that healthcare spending has been decreased since the AAP administration took office.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia announced the Annual Budget on Saturday, saying Rs 1,900 crore will be committed for the building of four new hospitals and the refurbishment of 15 others. According to Sisodia, this would result in an additional 16,000 hospital beds in Delhi.

A 2,716-bed hospital in Siraspur and three 671-bed hospitals in Madipur, Hastsal, and Jwalapuri are among the four new hospitals.

The healthcare budget increased by approximately 29 percent last year as a result of the pandemic, including a Rs 50 crore provision for vaccine distribution.Although the exact budget document has not yet been released, authorities in the know have stated that the money for the vaccination effort is likely to be slashed, despite the fact that more than 90 percent of the people in Delhi have been properly immunised against COVID.

Aside from health infrastructure, the Delhi government has set aside Rs 70 crore for the establishment of a cloud-based hospital information management system and a QR code-based e-health card. “All residents will be able to get a QR code-based e-health card.” With geo-tagging, this will aid in identifying patients and gathering basic illness information. Aside from that, this method will assist in obtaining information about family trees, i.e., family members. This will make it easier for all residents to receive prompt care. The deputy chief minister added that a budget allocation of Rs 70 crore is recommended for this initiative in the fiscal year 2022–23.

Cardholders would have access to a toll-free helpline 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to arrange appointments at Delhi hospitals.

The government also budgeted Rs 50 crore for its Delhi Arogya Kosh initiative, which provides free diagnoses and procedures at private centres if they are not available or have a long wait at government centres. Until December 2021, 2,804 victims of accidents, acid attacks, or burns received benefits, in addition to 977 who had surgery and 71,559 who received free examinations.

The Aam Aadmi Yogshala has also been awarded Rs 15 crore by the government. As many as 450 yoga instructors educated by the DPSRU, the government of Delhi, teach yoga to more than 15,000 individuals on a daily basis, according to their time and convenience. “To sustain this scheme, a specific provision of Rs 15 crore has been made in the Budget,” Sisodia added.