Rajnath Singh: India’s health spend lowest among BRICS nations

LUCKNOW: In a surprise remark against his own government, Union home minister Rajnath Singh said on Sunday that the centre was not spending enough on the health sector.

“Main jaanta hun ki government ko jitna spend karna chahiye GDP ka health sector par woh nahi ho pa raha hai (I am aware that the percentage of GDP that the government should be spending on the health sector is not being done),” Singh said at the 114th foundation day of King George’s Medical University here.

The minister pointed out that India’s expenditure on healthcare was the lowest among the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) nations. “Currently, we are spending just 1.16% of the total GDP on the health sector. This has been discussed in Cabinet meetings and the Prime Minister has said that we should raise the spending to at least 2.5% of the GDP. And that is what we are aiming for,” he said.

Rajnath, however, praised the centre’s health insurance scheme, Ayushman Bharat, and

said it was the only health cover in the world of such magnitude. “I know problems are surfacing in its implementation and it’s getting difficult for doctors to work around it, but we are working to eradicating these issues,” he added. Singh acknowledged that there was shortage of doctors in the country.