Morung Express News
Dimapur | July 1
Nagaland State spent 5.59% of its total state expenditure on health. The Nagaland State Government’s health expenditure per capita stood at Rs. 2450, which is 2.97% of its Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP).
Nagaland’s per capita expenditure on health is well above the Rs. 1112 that India spent per capita. On the other hand, Nagaland’s sister states like Mizoram spent Rs. 5862 per capita. Annual health statistics aggregator, the National Health Profile 2018, released earlier this year by the Central Bureau of Health Intelligence (CBHI), made a note of these statistics. CBHI is a unit of the Directorate of Health Services, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India.
Till fiscal year 2017-18 (from 2015-16), Nagaland’s total state expenditure stood at Rs. 10,156 crore, of which it spent Rs. 588 crore on public health. Of this, Nagaland spent Rs. 465 crore on separate 'components' of health care, such as urban and rural health services, training etc. Despite this, a person in rural Nagaland spent, on an average, Rs. 11,652 out of their own pocket as medical and non medical expenditure on account of every hospitalization. In urban Nagaland, this expenditure shot up to Rs. 17,216. The National Health Profile 2018 quoted a 2014 survey on this account though unlikely to be reduced by the end of fiscal year 2017-18.
Indians are the sixth biggest out-of-pocket health spenders in the low-middle income group of 50 nations, IndiaSpend had reported in 2017. These costs push around 32-39 million Indians below the poverty line every year, according to studies, reported Firstpost in June 2018.
Nagaland’s public expenditure, despite the huge out of pocket incurred by its citizens, stands much better than most states in India. However, it languishes at the bottom of the NITI Aayog Health Index. Nagaland scored 37.38 in its overall health performance while Kerala, the top scorer, had 76.55 points. In fact, the NITI Aayog reported that Nagaland has shown a decline in its overall health indices.
The question arises, how is the Nagaland State Government spending its health finances while its citizens continue to spend high amounts for hospitalization while the health sector slumps?
The National Health Profile informed that Nagaland has 396 medical sub centres, 126 Primary Health Centres and 21 Community Health Centres as of March 2017. By the end of 2015, its government hospitals served an average population of 65,389 per hospital with 1252 patients clamoring for each hospital bed. The state has no public infrastructure for basic or specialized medical training.
Nagaland has only 801 doctors possessing recognized medical qualifications (under IMC Act) registered with the State Medical Council/Medical Council of India.
