Healthcare suffering due to PMC’s poor budget allocation
While this year’s PMC budget of ₹12,618 crore marks an increase of ₹1,017 crore over last year’s PMC budget of ₹11,601 crore, the allocation for healthcare stands reduced by 20% at ₹598 crore
Despite a burgeoning population of nearly 60 lakhs which includes one lakh residents from 34 villages merged with the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), the city’s healthcare system leaves a lot to be desired, what with poor budget allocation for the civic health department a perennial issue. While the recent incident at Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital has triggered a storm against private- doctors and hospitals, the government has proved wanting in its duty to provide quality, affordable public healthcare.
While this year’s PMC budget of ₹12,618 crore marks an increase of ₹1,017 crore over last year’s PMC budget of ₹11,601 crore, the allocation for healthcare stands reduced by 20% at ₹598 crore.
Dr Sanjeev Wavare, assistant health officer, PMC, said, “There is definitely a need to allocate a budget for the health department which can help us improve healthcare facilities. This financial year, we had demanded ₹717 crore however only ₹598 crore was allocated to the health department.”
Dr Wavare informed that every year, the health department has to struggle to make reappropriation in its internal budget. “Due to a smaller budget, the allocation is always less than what has been demanded,” he said.
Of the ₹598 crore allocated for healthcare in the current financial year, only ₹50 to 60 crore is allocated for medicines, medical equipment and instruments for the public. Whereas a major chunk of ₹142 crore is allocated for staff salaries and ₹120 crore is allocated for the Urban Poor Health Scheme and Contributory Health Scheme (current and former corporators and civic staff). Besides, ₹100 crore is allocated to the civic construction and electric department for development of healthcare infrastructure. The remaining ₹170 to 180 crore is allocated to the vector-borne diseases department, veterinary department, bio-medical waste, and birth and death registration department.
Dr Nina Borade, health chief of the PMC, said, “We are working on the appointment of specialised and allied healthcare staff. Our priority is to create new posts and fill all vacant posts in the department. This will help us improve healthcare facilities provided to the citizens.”
Sharad Shetty, a health activist, said that in the past seven decades, Pune has not seen the establishment of another facility like Sassoon General Hospital. “The PMC is not taking responsibility or the effort to provide the required healthcare facilities to the citizens. Besides, the administration has failed to expand public healthcare infrastructure,” he said.
Dr Abhijit More, health activist and convenor of the Jan Aarogya Abhiyan, said, “The PMC lacks the vision to upgrade its hospitals to multi-specialty facilities. Although the civic body has 18 maternity homes, none have been converted into multi-specialty hospitals. The Kamala Nehru Hospital has still not been upgraded. The PMC has established a pattern of constructing buildings, advertising to hire doctors, and then outsourcing these healthcare facilities to private players, claiming that there is no response to the advertisements. There is a lack of vision and leadership which is why there is no budget allocation by the PMC.”
On his part, Rajendra Bhosale, PMC commissioner, said that the budget allocation for the health department is adequate and that the maximum budget is allotted to this department. “The budget allocation is more than sufficient and has been increased by 14% this financial year. In case of shortage, budget reappropriation can be carried out. The budget is not just to display but also needs to be spent. One cannot claim that the funds are inadequate even before spending the budget,” he said.
