Owaisi pitches for increasing country's health budget

Hyderabad: MIM president Asaduddin Owaisi today pitched for increasing the country's health budget to two per cent of GDP.

"The health budget of our country is not reaching two per cent of GDP. The National Family Health Survey of 2015-16 report itself clearly states that the government needs to focus more on health in India," he said.

Owaisi, the Lok Sabha member from Hyderabad, was speaking after releasing the Family Health Survey conducted by an NGO here.

Citing the National Family Health Survey, he said 46 per cent children born are under-weight and 48 per cent are "stunted".

"If the government does not focus on this and if we dont spend two per cent of GDP on health sector, then the health indicators in the country would be below that of sub-Saharan countries," Owaisi said.

He said his party would appeal to the government to focus on improving the health standards.

Facilities like neo-natal centre need to be set up at government hospitals in the old city of Hyderabad, he said.

The health personnel in government hospitals also need to step up their services, Owaisi said.

Expressing concern over prevalence of diabetes and hypertension, he said more generic drug shops need to be opened.

The MIM would take up with the government the issues raised in the survey, like prevalence of TB and a section of the poor not having PDS cards.