Health Budget 2024: Three big announcements, here’s all you need to know

Cervical cancer in focus, Ayushman Bharat extended

Written by Anonna Dutt

Updated: February 1, 2024 02:03 PM IST

2 min read

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman ahead of presenting the Interim Budget in New Delhi on Thursday. (PTI)

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday announced that the government will encourage vaccination for prevention of cervical cancer in girls between the ages of nine and 14 years and expand the Ayushman Bharat insurance scheme to cover ASHA and anganwadi workers.

The scheme, which provides Rs 5 lakh family cover to the poorest 40 per cent of the country, will now be a big relief for ASHA workers, who are referred to as the fourth tier of public health in India and are responsible for the implementation of all the government schemes that have to reach people’s doors. Anganwadi workers and helpers, on the other hand, are responsible for providing child care and nutrition services. Both were crucial during the community prevention and treatment drive during the Covid years.

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While the number of medical seats in institutions has doubled over the last ten years, the Finance Minister said that the government plans to set up more medical colleges. There were over one lakh MBBS seats for the current batch. “Several youth are ambitious to get qualified as doctors. They aim to serve our people through improved healthcare services. Our government plans to set up more medical colleges by utilising the existing hospital infrastructure under various departments. A committee for this purpose will be set up to examine the issues and make relevant recommendations,” the minister said.

All medical colleges have to be associated with a fully functioning tertiary care hospital. The government already has a scheme for upgradation of district hospitals to medical colleges.

The minister also said that a vaccine management platform U-Vin — along the lines of CoWIN used for the Covid-19 vaccination programme — will be rolled out across the country. “The newly designed U-Vin platform for managing immunisation and intensified efforts of mission Indradhanush will be rolled out expeditiously throughout the country,” the Minister said. Other than that, “various schemes for maternal and child health will be brought under one comprehensive programme for synergy in implementation,” she added.

Anonna Dutt

Anonna Dutt is a Principal Correspondent who writes primarily on health at the Indian Express. She reports on myriad topics ranging from the growing burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension to the problems with pervasive infectious conditions. She reported on the government’s management of the Covid-19 pandemic and closely followed the vaccination programme. Her stories have resulted in the city government investing in high-end tests for the poor and acknowledging errors in their official reports. Dutt also takes a keen interest in the country’s space programme and has written on key missions like Chandrayaan 2 and 3, Aditya L1, and Gaganyaan. She was among the first batch of eleven media fellows with RBM Partnership to End Malaria. She was also selected to participate in the short-term programme on early childhood reporting at Columbia University’s Dart Centre. Dutt has a Bachelor’s Degree from the Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune and a PG Diploma from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. She started her reporting career with the Hindustan Times. When not at work, she tries to appease the Duolingo owl with her French skills and sometimes takes to the dance floor. ... Read More

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health budget interim budget Union Budget