India to raise health spend by 11% in budget, less than sought

New Delhi

INDIA is poised to raise its public health spending by 11 per cent in the annual budget next month, after rejecting the health minister's demand for a much bigger increase to ramp up disease control, according to government sources and documents.

Health Minister JP Nadda sought a "bare minimum" budget of nearly US$10 billion for 2018-19 - 33 per cent higher than last year - in a letter to the finance minister on Nov 26, which Reuters has reviewed.

Mr Nadda argued the funds were needed for expanding vaccination coverage and free drugs distribution, and also to ward off a growing threat of non-communicable diseases, such as cancer and diabetes, which ki…