Health Budget should be 5% of the GDP : IMA

Increase the health budget; promote cure in India concept reserve money for digital health and medical research and provide subsidy to doctors and medical establishments who provide concessional services to the poor are a few of the suggestion sent to the finance ministry by the  Indian Medical association.

Giving the details Padma Shri Awardee Dr A Marthanda Pillai National President and Padma Shri Awardee Dr K K Aggarwal Honorary Secretary General IMA said that doctors to open a medical establishment needs clearances from over 72 acts and unless there is a single window registration concept the cost of medical treatment will not come down.

Here are the suggestions sent

1.      Health Budget should be 5% of the GDP.

2.   Rupees 500 Crores should be earmarked for “Cure in India” Project. This project to be earmarked for creating awareness and promoting indigenous manufacturing of kits, reagents and equipment devices.

3.  Provision to be made for Indian Health Act 2015 where single window registration should be done of medical establishments.  At present 72 such registrations are required.

4.      Rupees 1,000 crores to be reserved for promoting digital health (Cure & Learning)

5.      Health to be given an infrastructure status

6.      Medical services should be declared as a service industry.

7.      Interest free loan be provided for opening a medical college in rural area.

8.      Life saving equipments should be exempted from all duties.

9.      Rupees 1,000 Crores should be earmarked for promoting research and CME Programmes for health care providers.

10.  Health care providers should be given subsidy for solar power and digital health.

11.  Honeymoon period of 10 years should be given for new medical establishment for loan.

12.  Small Medical establishment and single doctor clinic who are ready to provide 15% free service should be given the status of aided Hospitals like the aided school.

13.  New Medical Colleges should be opened in rural areas where already no medical college exists by the Government.

14.  Permission for opening medical colleges should be given in the rural areas on fixed criteria ie states which do not have medical college proportionate to the population and areas where health care facilities is not available.

15.  In all life saving conditions where private medical establishments are supposed to provide free service, compensation should be given by State on CGHS rates.

16.  For doctors who want to serve in rural areas, salary should be 3 times more and should have facilities for accommodation education like Railway Colony near railway stations.

17.  Every doctor and hospital who does charity, should be given the same exemption as are provided in Section 80G of Income Tax Act.