Govt to raise health share from 1% to 2% of GDP

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The Centre will allocate two per cent of the total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the health sector under the XIth five year plan, an increase over the current one per cent allocation, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said.

"The Government now recognises that it is its policy to increase the total public expenditure on health sector from one per cent of GDP to two per cent. It is a large increase that will take place," Ahluwalia said inaugurating a National Programme for for Prevention and Control of Cardiovascular Diseases, Diabetes and Stroke.

He said the government was committed in extending healthcare facilities to all parts of the country and urged the Health Ministry to review the progress of the projects being implemented.

He also said the government should find institutional ways where awareness of health and the possibility of early detection of risks can be built into the system.

"I believe that prevention is a lot cheaper than cure.

Institutional mechanism is needed to come over the diseases.

People some how manage to avoid consciousness of catastrophic risk and act as if it doesn't exist," he said.