New Delhi (NVI): The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the creation of Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Nidhi (PMSSN) today.
PMSSN will be a single non-lapsable reserve fund for a share of Health from the proceeds of Health and Education Cess levied under Section 136-b of Finance Act, 2007, according to an official statement.
The scheme enhances access to universal and affordable health care through the availability of earmarked resources while ensuring that the amount does not lapse at the end of the financial year, the statement added.
The accruals into the PMSSN will be utilized for the flagship schemes of the health ministry such as Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), Ayushman Bharat – Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWCs), National Health Mission, Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY), Emergency and disaster preparedness and responses during health emergencies and any future programme/scheme that targets to achieve progress towards SDGs and the targets set out in the National Health Policy (NHP) 2017.
The administration and maintenance of the PMSSN are entrusted to the health ministry and in any financial year, the expenditure on such schemes of the MoHFW would be initially incurred from the PMSSN and thereafter, from gross budgetary support (GBS), the statement said.
Health is vital for improved developmental outcomes. From an economic standpoint, better health improves productivity and reduces losses due to premature death, prolonged disability, and early retirement.
Health and Nutrition also directly impact scholastic achievements and have a bearing on productivity and income. Health Outcomes depend substantially on public spending on health.
One extra year of population life expectancy raises GDP per capita by 4%, Investment in health creates millions of jobs, largely for women, through a much-needed expansion of the health workforce
In the budget speech 2018, the finance minister while announcing Ayushman Bharat Scheme also told about the replacement of the existing 3 percent education cess by 4 percent health and education cess.
-CHK
