Budget 2012: Health suffers, education trails

The glum faces of the Union health and human resources ministers, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Kapil Sibal, spoke volumes, with disappointment writ large. No big-ticket schemes, no major reforms and no new programmes seemed to be the story of the Budget as far as their sectors were concerned.

On the contrary, their Cabinet colleague in the women and child development ministry, Krishna Tirath, beamed as Pranab Mukherjee gave a handsome 58 % hike to the Integrated Women and Child Development Scheme (ICDS).

This was to restructure and strengthening the scheme to bring down embarrassing malnutrition levels in the country. The Budget seems to have ignored prime minister Manmohan Singh’s commitment that this year would be “health-oriented budget.” But that was not to be.

“It is an OK kind of budget. I have not got much. What is given to health is the standard 15% hike,” a disappointed union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad told DNA minutes after the Budget was tabled.

The only noticeable hike came in the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), the government’s flagship programme for rural areas to accommodate enlarged salaries of the rural health workers. Clubbed together as the Accredited Social Heath Activist (ASHA) scheme, it has been increased from Rs18,115 crore to Rs20,822 crore. Of course these workers will now take on an additional responsibility to combat malnutrition, prevention of Iodine deficiency disorders, ensure 100% immunisation and better family planning.

But besides this programme, there was little to cheer. No new medical colleges or institutes, no big hospitals to increase the scope of affordable health care or bring in more doctors for the population. All that this Budget seemed to offer is a plan to launch the National Urban Health Mission for which a token amount has been set aside. However, it is unlikely that the project will take off this year. The Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana is being expanded to upgrade seven government medical colleges.

India’s successful polio eradication programme saw a marginal hike from Rs510 crore to Rs790 crore.