Thiruvananthapuram: A comprehensive health care programme that ensures free treatment to the poor and treatment at reduced rate to others in Government hospitals is one of the major announcements made in the budget for the public health sector.

Presenting the budget, Minister for Finance T. M. Thomas Isaac said health insurance would be implemented linking it with comprehensive upgraded public health system. Tenders would be invited from public sector companies. Those who have already been registered in the panchayat insurance scheme will also be included in the new scheme.

Expansion of facilities and integration of standards in the health sector would be taken up. A sum of Rs. 36 crore has been made available from the National Rural Health Mission for the expansion of building facilities.

An amount of Rs. 34 crore would be provided through the Mission for starting hospitals for women and children in districts where there are no such hospitals. For the purchase of equipment in General Hospitals, Rs. 2 crore has been provided in the name of standardisation of facilities. A public health laboratory will be set up at Kannur. Dr. Isaac said Rs. 168 crore had been provided under the non-Plan provision for making available medicines and other essential items in hospitals. In addition, Rs. 33.50 crore had been made available under Plan.

A new system will be formulated during the year for procurement and distribution of quality medicines at the lowest rate. In addition, local self-government institutions can spend 20 per cent of the maintenance grant.

Urgent steps will be taken to fill vacant posts in hospitals. Speciality cadre will be introduced for doctors. Legislation will be introduced to make it mandatory for MBBS graduates and Postgraduate degree and Diploma holders who pass out from medical colleges in the State to undergo one-year compulsory public health service. One-year Government service will be introduced for nurses who pass out from nursing colleges.

A sum of Rs. 10,000 would be provided to strengthen sub-centres under Public Health Centres. Ward-level health sanitation committees will be set up and Rs. 10,000 will be allotted to them. A sum of Rs. 10 lakh has been provided for the Clinical Epidemological Research and Training Centre functioning at Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram. An additional amount of Rs. 5 crore has been made available for meeting the expenses of shifting Alappuzha Medical College to Vandanam and for improving the facilities at the General Hospital.

The Finance Minister announced Rs. 3 crore for the Medical University and steps to introduce residency system along with the Medical PG studies in medical colleges in the State.

A committee will be formed to frame suggestions for the comprehensive development of Ayurveda sector. An amount of Rs. 65 lakh has been provided for starting new Ayurveda dispensaries and for improving facilities.

Dr. Isaac said Rs. 1 crore has been provided for purchasing land for the expansion of Homoeopathic Cooperative Pharmacy at Alappuzha. A sum of Rs. 8 crore has been allocated for development of Siddha, Unani, Naturopathy, and Holistic Medicine.

Drinking water

The Finance Minister said Rs. 3 crore had been provided for renovating existing drinking water schemes. A sum of Rs. 6 crore had been earmarked as the State's matching grant for the schemes assisted by the Centre, LIC and HUDCO. A sum of Rs. 800 crore had been set apart for meeting the expenditure towards the Japan Drinking Water Project in 2007-08. Two drinking water projects will be set up at Alappad and Arattupuzha utilising Rs. 39 crore from the Tsunami fund.

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