The Uttar Pradesh Government allocates a notable budget of Rs. 27,086 crores to boost the health sector of the state.

Striving to strengthen the health infrastructure along with providing quality and affordable healthcare to residents, the UP government has allocated Rs. 27,086 crores for the health and family welfare sector for the financial year 2024-2025.

The allocated budget gives momentum to all the public welfare schemes, including the National Rural Mission scheme, Ayushman Bharat Mukhyamantri Jan Arogya Abhiyan, and Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana.

Further, under the Prime Minister’s Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission, the UP government will set up health wellness centers in rural and urban areas of the state. For the functioning of varied programs under the National Rural Health Mission for the financial year 2024-2025, the UP government has allotted a budget of Rs. 7,350 crore. A requirement of Rs. 952 crores is suggested for the establishment of health wellness center units and integrated public health labs in rural and urban areas under the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission Yojana.

Under Ayushman Bharat Mukhyamantri Jan Arogya Abhiyan, a budget of Rs. 300 crore is proposed for the financial year 2024-2025. Under Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana Rs. 322 crores are allocated and under Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Rajya Karmchari Cashless Chikitsa Yojana arrangements were made for the cashless treatment in the private hospitals. For this, an assessed outlay of Rs. 150 crores is foreseen, the entire amount is completely borne by the UP government.

UP has 65 medical colleges, of which 35 colleges are operated by the state government and 30 colleges by the private sector. Forty-five districts of UP are equipped with medical colleges. In 14 districts, the medical colleges are funded by the central government and are under construction. It is presented to set up medical colleges in 16 unserved districts through private investment.

With a budget of Rs. 400 crores, a medical college is established in Varanasi. Providing free medical facilities for incurable diseases, a provision of Rs. 125 crores is proposed in the budget, and an amount of Rs. 300 crores is presented for upgrading the trauma center level -2 to trauma center level -1 (100 bedded)/apex trauma center (200 bedded) in government medical colleges. The number of BSc medical colleges in the government sector has increased from 6 to 23. The target is to establish 1,600 health and wellness centers under the Ayushman Bharat scheme and 1,035 government Ayurvedic, homeopathy, and Unani hospitals are being transformed into health wellness centers. Presently, there are 2,110 Ayurvedic, 254 Unani, and 1585 Homeopathy hospitals along with 8 Ayurvedic, 2 Unani, and 9 homeopathic colleges and their affiliated hospitals functioning in various districts of the state.

Under the AYUSH department, the construction work of Mahayogi Guru Gorakhnath AYUSH University will be completed, and along with this Government Ayurvedic College in Ayodhya and Government Homeopathic Medical College in Varanasi will be set up.

(Input from various sources)

(Rehash/Lavanya Beeraboina/MSM)