Declining trends in out-of-pocket health spending

New Delhi, August 5

The latest National Health Authority estimates for the quantum of spending on health reveal that the out-of-pocket expenditure on health services in India have begun to witness declining trends.

Out of pocket expenditure (OOPE) as a percentage of total health expenditure for the country today stands at 48.8 per cent (2017-18) as against 58.7 per cent in 2016-17 and 60.6 per cent in 2015-16.

Data presented today in Parliament, however, reveal that the government health spending as a percentage of the GDP remains far from the 2.5 per cent level by 2025 pledged in the National Health Policy.

As of 2017-18, the public spending on health as a percentage of GDP was 1.35 per cent as against 1.20 per cent (2016-17), 1.18 per cent (2015-16), 1.13 per cent (2014-15) and 1.15 per cent (2013-14).

”The budget allocation for the Department of Health has increased significantly from Rs. 47,353 crore in 2017-18 (BE) to Rs 83,000 crore in 2022-23 (BE), which is an increase of 75.3%,” Minister of State for Health Bharati Pawar said.