HP spends Rs 26,000 per person on health

Joining him, BJP member Suresh Bhardwaj said the government was focusing on opening six medical colleges in the state whereas it has disturbed the premier Indira Gandhi Medical College in Shimla.

Shimla, March 28: Himachal Pradesh is spending Rs 26,000 per capita on health, the highest in the country, and its budget allocation is 1.43 per cent of the State Gross Domestic Product, State Health Minister Kaul Singh said in the assembly on Tuesday.

"We are spending the highest amount of Rs 26,000 per capita on health services in the entire country," the minister said in reply to the debate on the demand for grants for health in the assembly.

He said Himachal is the only state after Delhi that is focusing on providing the best medical care facilities.

"1.43 per cent of the State Gross Domestic Product is our health budget," Kaul Singh said.

The minister's one-hour reply was marred by heated arguments between him and opposition BJP member Mohinder Singh Thakur. Later, the BJP staged a walkout.

Earlier, Thakur alleged the state was misusing the funds allocated by the Central government for providing healthcare.

Joining him, BJP member Suresh Bhardwaj said the government was focusing on opening six medical colleges in the state whereas it has disturbed the premier Indira Gandhi Medical College in Shimla.

The minister denied the opposition's allegations that National Health Mission funds were lapsing in the state.

"The infant mortality rate in the state has come down from 36 to 28 as per the recent sample registration survey," he said.

Leader of Opposition Prem Kumar Dhumal told reporters that the state was not properly utilising the funds allocated by the Central government to the health sector.

He said there was a huge shortfall of doctors and para-medical staff in most of the government hospitals and dispensaries.

"Rather than expressing gratitude to our (Union) Health Minister J.P. Nadda for allocating special funds to this hill state, the state is harping on the funds allocated by previous Health Minister Gulam Nabi Azad during the UPA regime," he said.

Dhumal said the walkout was staged to lodge their protest over deterioration in health services, including lack of dialysis centres in districts.

IANS