Though no major health reform policy has been announced, a sharp hike in the excise duty on tobacco related products including cigarettes, gutka and paan masala with an aim to make them costly is the major highlight of the Budget 2014-15 in the health sector.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley proposed hike in excise duty on cigarettes by 11-72 per cent, on pan masala from 12 per cent to 16 per cent, unmanufactured tobacco from 50 per cent to 55 per cent and on gutkha and chewing tobacco from 60 per cent to 70 per cent.
The move aims to decrease their consumption rate, hence the reduction in risk of cancer due to smoking and tobacco consumption.
Further, with an aim to ensure “Health for All,” the Government has promised to take up on priority key health initiatives of providing free drugs and free diagnostic services besides deciding to set up 15 model rural health research centres in the States for better health care facilities in rural India. However, no allocation has been made for these initiatives.
Jaitley also proposed to add 12 Government medical colleges, where dental facilities would also be provided. At present, 58 Government Medical colleges have been approved.
“In order to achieve universal access to early quality diagnosis and treatment to TB patients, two National Institutes of Ageing will be set up at AIIMS, New Delhi and Madras Medical College, Chennai. A national level research and referral Institute for higher dental studies would be set up in one of the existing dental institutions,” Jaitley said.
However, no allocation has been made for the National Health Mission and major programmes to tackle malaria, TB and leprosy. The Union Health Ministry has a total budgetary allocation of `35,163 crore in 2014-15 against `27,531 crore the previous year.