Centre to increase allocation to Health sector

Hyderabad, Oct 29: Planning Commission Member Syeda Hameed today said the Central Government would increase budget allocations to the Health sector to three per cent of total GDP of the country in Eleven Five Year Plan.

Delivering the Convocational address at 46 Annual Conference of National Academy of Medical Siences (NAMC) here, Ms Syeda said 0.9 per cent of total GDP was allocated to health sector in the ten five year plan. It would be increased to two to three per cent of total GDP of the country in the next five year plan, she added.

Expressing concern over increasing infant mortality rate and meternal mortality rate in the country, she said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh approved the approach paper on budget allocation of the health sector in Eleven five year plan.

National Development Council (NDC) would also discuss the issue of increasing budget allocation to the health sector in the coming five year plan next month, she added.

Former Planning Commission Member JS Bajaj said the research output from the Universities and other medical institutions was much less compared to other countries.

Professor Bajaj alleged that one of the reasons for decline in research output was undue Governmental and bureaucratic interference in the functioning of the Universities and Research Institutes.

UNI