A Parliamentary Standing Committee has slammed the Government for sitting on the Rs 22,000-crore proposal for National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) — meant to ensure better primary healthcare to the urban poor across the country.
The NUHM plans to cover all cities/towns with a population of more than 50,000. It aims to improve the health status of the urban population — particularly slum-dwellers, other marginalised urban dwellers like rickshaw pullers, street vendors, railway and bus station coolies, homeless people, street children, and construction workers.
The Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) had already recommended the proposal forwarding it to the Cabinet six months ago. However, the latter has been postponing the matter for one reason or other. The EFC meeting in October 2012 recommended the proposal for Cabinet approval for Rs 22,507.21 crore during the 12th Five Year Plan with a Central share of Rs 16,955 crore.
The panel on Health and Welfare headed by Rajya Sabha MP Brajesh Pathak in its report said that in want of a clearance lakhs of urban poor were deprived of the basic health facilities.
It also expressed concerns over how the Health Ministry would be able to meet the objective of universal health coverage in view of poor fund allocation of Rs 20,999 crore in the budget 2013-14 for National Health Mission.
Besides, no specific allocation has been made for the urban health initiative. For launching NUHM, Rs 3,200 crore was proposed in the Budget Estimate. However, only Rs 1 crore was approved in budget estimate.
The Committee, while seeking early approval of the NUHM, nevertheless, warned that the funds meant for NRHM should not be directed towards it.
“The Committee, therefore, recommends that the Department should make all-out effort to get more funds at Revised Estimate stage for implementation of some of the schemes under NUHM,” the report said.