Health budget may go up by 2%

NEW DELHI: India plans to increase its allocation for health to 2%-3% of its GDP over the next five years.

Public spending on health was 0·94% of the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2004–05, which was among the lowest in the world.

Private expenditure on health in India is about 78% as compared to 14% in the Maldives, Bhutan (29%), Sri Lanka (53%), Thailand (31%) and China (61%).

Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Saturday owned up to the growing health burden.