An outlay of about ₹69,000 crore is being announced for the health sector in the 2020-2021 by Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Finance Minister. ₹6,400 crore Budget has been earmarked for the Centre’s flagship health insurance scheme, Prime Minister Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY). The Ministry of AYUSH has been allocated ₹2,122.08 crore while there is an allocation of ₹2,100 crore to the Department of Health Research. The Finance Minister has also announced the Jan Aushadhi Kendra Scheme to all districts, offering 2,000 medicines and 300 surgical by 2024. The government has also proposed a nominal health cess of 5% on imports of specified medical equipment. Government has also proposed setting up of medical colleges in existing district hospitals under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model to address the shortage of qualified doctors.
