Even tiny Burundi spends more percentage of GDP on health than India

New Delhi: The total expenditure on health as percentage to GDP for India in 2012 was merely 4 per cent compared to poorest countries like Burundi which had around nine per cent, Rajya Sabha was informed today.

Health Minister J P Nadda in a written reply said the per capita government expenditure on health in India was $18 in 2012 as compared to developed countries like Germany which had $3,618.

"As per world health statistics 2015 published by WHO, total expenditure on health as percentage of GDP in 2012 for India is 3.8 per cent as compared to Burundi 8.2 per cent, Central African Republic 3.8 per cent, Democratic Republic of Congo 3.6 per cent, Malawi 9.2 per cent and Niger 6.1 per cent," Nadda said.

He said according to National Health Profile (NHP) of India 2015, published by the Central Bureau of Health Intelligence under the Health Ministry, the average population served per government hospital and per government hospital bed as on January 1, 2015 in India are 61,011 and 1,833 respectively.

"As per world health statistics 2015 published by WHO, the per capita government expenditure on health (at average exchange rate) in India was $18 in 2012 as compared to the select developed countries like Germany (USD3,618), France ($3,592), Japan ($3,932), UK ($3,019) and US ($4,153)," Nadda said.

He maintained that according to the publication titled 'health in India'- NSS 71st round brought out by the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) under Ministry of Statistics, the average total medical expenditure per hospitalisation case for all quintile class of Usual Monthly per capita consumer expenditure (UMPCE) stood at Rs 14,935 and Rs 24,436 for rural and urban household respectively.

"The average total medical expenditure for non hospitalised treatment per ailment person of all quintile class of UMPCE stood at Rs 509 and Rs 639 for rural and urban sector respectively," he said while replying to two separate questions.