Alarming rise in non-communicable cases: Health Minister JP Nadda

He also urged states to ensure "optimal utilisation" of health sector funds allocated by the Centre.
  
"We were facing rising incidence of communicable diseases. Now, non-communicable diseases are increasing at an alarming rate," Nadda said during Question Hour.
   
The incidence of diabetes, hypertension and cancer are on the rise and these diseases are mainly linked to lifestyle, he added.
   
He said efforts are being made to increase capacity to deal with cancer and focus is on primary screening to detect and treat the disease at the early stage itself.
   
The government plans to set up 2 national, 20 state-level and 50 tertiary cancer centres in different parts of the country, Nadda said even as he acknowledged that "much more needs to be done".

These institutes would be getting about Rs 20-45 crore depending on their capacities, he noted.
   
At present, there are 27 Regional Cancer Centres (RCCs). According to him, other streams of medicine need to be integrated with existing system for treating cancer.
   
Expenditure on health sector needs to be increased but states have to spend more since as much as 20 per cent of funds allocated by the Centre remain unspend, Nadda said.
   
"There should be optimum utilisation of funds allocated by the Centre to states for health sector," the Minister said. To another query, Nadda stressed that spending on health sector has not been reduced and only that more funds are being devolved to states.

"The core public health expenditure of Centre and State during 11th Plan period stood at 1.04 per cent of GDP. The public expenditure in health sector is estimated at 1.11 percent of GDP in 2013-14 (revised estimate)," he said and noted that private expenditure data is not centrally maintained.

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Health sector to grow at 17 percent during 2010 decade

As per the India Brand Equity Foundation, the Indian healthcare sector is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17 percent during 2011-2020 to touch  USD 280 billion by 2020," Health Minister JP Nadda said in a written reply.

He said the government has recently reviewed the policy on FDI in pharma sector and has allowed FDI up to 100 percent under the automatic route for the manufacturing of medical devices.

"Under the Twelfth Five Year Plan, the Government has included health sector for availing the Viability Gap Funding (VGF) up to 20 per cent of the total cost of the project under the PPP schemes. This offers scope for the PPP activities and projects in health sector," Nadda said.
  
Replying to another question, he said that the budgeted outlay for health and family welfare sector has increased from Rs 10733.56 crore in 2005-06 to Rs 29,653 crore in 2015-16.
  
"As per World Health Statistics 2014 published by WHO, 'Out of Pocket' expenditure accounts for 60 per cent of total expenditure on health in India in 2011. Public expenditure on health as percentage of total expenditure on health in India in 2011 stands at 30.5 percent," the Minister said.

As per the 12th Five Year Plan document, total public funding by Centre and states (plan and non-plan) on core health is envisaged to increase to 1.87 percent of GDP by the end of the plan period.

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