Health Sector Gets Rs 69,000 Crore; FM Plans To Link Medical Colleges With District Hospital To Meet Shortage Of Doctors

In the Union Budget for the financial year (FY) 2020-21, Finance Minister (FM) Nirmala Sitharaman announced Rs 69,000 crore for the betterment of Healthcare sector in the country.

While stressing on the issue of shortage of qualified medical doctors, she announce that a medical college was to be attached with one district hospital in public-private-partnership model, in order to meet the requirement of abled doctors.

“There is a shortage of qualified medical doctors both general practitioners and specialists; it is proposed to attach a medical college to a district hospital in PPP mode; details of the scheme to be worked out soon,” the FM said.

She further informed that a ‘viability gap window’ would be established to cover hospitals under this plan.

“Viability gap funding window to be set up to cover hospitals, with priority given to aspirational districts that don't have hospitals empanelled under Ayushman Bharat scheme,” the FM said.