The Budget Windfall
HOPE CLINICS
Budget Windfall: A Hollow Boost for Healthcare
The latest union budget claims to have given healthcare a "boost," yet the sector receives a mere 0.97% of the total budget outlay of ₹50.1 crore. The next time a patient complains about expensive healthcare, this figure should serve as a stark reminder of the government's priorities. Healthcare was not the focus of this budget—nor has it ever been a priority for our political class. And it won’t be, unless citizens become aware and start demanding quality healthcare from the state instead of falling for superficial welfare gimmicks.
Unfortunately, awareness remains low, largely because our rulers do not want an educated youth capable of questioning these systemic failures. Even degree holders often lack the knowledge to recognize how the country is being misled in the name of “welfare.”
The Illusion of Welfare in Healthcare
The best way to ensure citizens’ well-being is to provide high-quality, affordable healthcare. However, instead of investing in strengthening public healthcare, the government pushes schemes like Ayushman Bharat, which equates public and private hospitals, paying both the same rates despite their vastly different funding structures. A government-run hospital is entirely funded by public money, whereas private hospitals operate under market forces. Treating them as equals is not only impractical but also detrimental to the sustainability of private healthcare.
Government hospitals must provide free treatment to the poor, while private healthcare should complement—not be controlled by—government policies. Unfortunately, private hospitals are burdened by excessive compliance requirements and restrictive legislation, forcing them to operate under government dictates rather than market efficiency.
Numbers That Don’t Add Up
The ₹9,400 crore allocated to Ayushman Bharat is expected to cover hospitalization expenses for 60 crore people—which amounts to just ₹156 per person. The government seems to rely on the assumption that most of these 60 crore beneficiaries won’t even be aware of their entitlements. This bureaucratic gamble allows for such an inadequate allocation, banking on the ignorance of the masses.
Meanwhile, hospitals across India are struggling with delayed or denied payments under Ayushman Bharat. But the real objective of the scheme seems less about actually providing free treatment and more about creating the illusion of it. The government wants to "claim" it is offering free healthcare without actually ensuring its delivery.
Token Measures, Missed Priorities
Some cancer and life-saving drugs have seen reductions or exemptions in custom duties, but the question remains—why did such essential medicines have these tariffs in the first place? While this move is welcome, it is merely a small patch on a deeply flawed system.
Similarly, the plan to set up cancer daycare centers in district hospitals lacks specifics, making it an uninspiring and underwhelming step toward addressing a major healthcare crisis.
Another questionable move is the decision to introduce 10,000 new MBBS seats this year. When many MBBS graduates are already unemployed or underemployed, does it make sense to flood the market with more doctors instead of focusing on improving existing medical infrastructure and job opportunities?
A Call for Real Reform
If the government is serious about healthcare reform, it must move beyond headline-grabbing schemes and focus on fundamental changes:
- Strengthening public hospitals with better funding, staffing, and infrastructure.
- Ensuring timely payments to private hospitals under government schemes.
- Eliminating unnecessary tariffs on life-saving drugs permanently.
- Addressing doctor unemployment through better planning rather than simply increasing MBBS seats.
Without meaningful action, these so-called “boosts” to healthcare will remain nothing more than political rhetoric, leaving millions of Indians without access to the quality care they deserve.