Rural Health - The Prime Focus in Budget 2010

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has mainly focused on rural health in the budget 2010 with allocation for the health sector going up by Rs 2,700 crore to Rs 22,300 crore.

In some good news for the rural population, the minister also said he plans to ask for an annual survey to tabulate the district health profile in rural areas. "The findings of the survey should be of immense benefit to major public health initiatives, particularly the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), which has successfully addressed the gaps in the delivery of critical health services in rural areas," he said.

The NRHM, which was launched in 2005 by the UPA government, aims to tackle health inequalities in rural areas. 18 states with poor health infrastructure are the main focus of this program.

The NHRM has been receiving regular funding in all budgets since 2005.



Source-Medindia
RAS