Budget: Time to put primary healthcare at the heart of India’s health system

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. India’s healthcare sector stands at a critical juncture. While our aspirations for a healthier nation are bold, fiscal commitments often fall short of aligning with these goals.

As we approach the Union Budget, this is the moment to ask a fundamental question: do we want a health system that merely treats illness, or one that protects lives, livelihoods and enables holistic well-being? The most urgent expectation from this Budget is a clear and credible commitment to increasing the public investment in health. India is still significantly far from the long-stated target of allocating 2.5% of GDP to health, and this Budget must substantially bridge that gap. How we spend this money also matters.

We have been witnessing a concerning trend where the proportion of public health expenditure going towards primary healthcare has declined, while spending on tertiary care has increased. This must be reversed. Strong primary healthcare is the foundation of an efficient and equitable health system.

By diagnosing and managing health issues early, we can significantly reduce the burden on tertiary hospitals and lower overall health and out-of-pocket expenditure. But our current model remains heavily skewed towards hospital-based treatment, and we have barely even scratched the surface of preventive care, palliative care, rehabilitation, geriatric care and long-term care for people with disabilities. Budgetary allocations must also go beyond physical infrastructure to focus on human resources.