Dimapur, March 14 (MExN): In an unsettling report, Nagaland’s Health and Family Welfare sector is found to be a “glaring example” of worst-spending states in the country whose “proper use” of health funds figure below 10%. Nagaland figures nil.
Out of Rs 898.83 Crore released to 35 states and union territories by the Union Government for the financial year 2005-2006 for Reproductive and Child Health Programme-II (RHC-II), not even half the amount was utilized, according to DNA, a news portal. In fact, the actual utilized money till March 2006 was Rs 386.18 Crore. Some states ranked below 10 per cent money utilization, with the state of Nagaland being the most glaring example: Out of Rs 6.61 Crore given to Nagaland, it spent none, the report said.
However, Nagaland state has company: Almost half the states in the country have failed to put the central funds to proper use and the scheme of RCH-II is just another glaring instance of health schemes going ‘sick’ due to either non-use or improper fund utilization.
The reason for stunted health care delivery in the North East is evident by the poor spending by the states, which shows that despite getting Rs 109.6 Crore, the eight NE states could just use Rs 21.6 Crore. Out of these, Sikkim stands out by having 103 per cent spending. With such a huge gap and lack of co-ordination between the central and state governments in RCH, it would be tough task for the nation to meet the Millennium Development Goals, the report observed.
The union budget allocation for health and family welfare is growing - this year it was up by 21.9 per cent making it to Rs 15,291 Crore - but it is hardly reflecting on the health indices of the country. Despite getting huge allocations and ambitious policy planning from the Centre, the states hardly feel inspired which is evident from the utilization of funds by them, the report said.
Out of the 18 states that barely touched the 50 per cent money, West Bengal was allotted Rs 59.8 Crore but used just Rs 3.18 Crore, i.e. a mere five per cent. Assam spent six per cent and Manipur nine. And despite cornering the highest funds in the country — a whopping Rs 170 Crore - Uttar Pradesh could use only 28 per cent and Bihar used 15 per cent. Incidentally, UP and Bihar have some of the highest occurrences of Japanese Encephalitis, polio and other vector borne diseases besides having shameful MMR and IMRs. The IMR in UP is 73/1000 while 62/1000 in Bihar.
Sadly, even big states like Maharashtra could use only Rs 15.98 Crore out of allocated Rs 52.8 Crore, touching a mere 30 per cent and Kerala which usually has impressive Human Development Indices has spent merely 22 per cent. However, while southern states like AP and Tamil Nadu have traditional better health indices, what surprises is that the Empowered Action Group states like Chhattisgarh and Orissa focusing attention to health. In 2005-06, Chhattisgarh utilized about 93 per cent followed by Orissa (90), Andhra Pradesh (87), Tamil Nadu (86) and Haryana (71).
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