Rajasthan to become first state in India to institutionalise health accounts

Furthering their advancements in the health sector, Rajasthan becomes the first state to institutionalise health accounts in India. The move will not just aid the state in having a better and more balanced understanding of the amount being spent on the health sector but also, its impact.

The findings from the data of these accounts would be utilised in future for enhanced policymaking. According to the reports, WHO will provide technical and financial assistance to create health accounts. For this purpose, WHO also organised an orientation session in the Secretariat last week.

Grace Achangura, WHO India's Technical Officer (health funding), in a presentation to the officials of the Medical, Health and Family Welfare Department, said that “regular monitoring and tracking of health expenditure can be done through state health accounts, and they can act as an important tool in evidence-based policymaking.”

In recent years, it has been noted that the Rajasthan government has placed the state’s health sector on a priority basis. Reportedly, the government has allocated more than 7% of the total budget for health, which is higher than the national average. According to an official, efforts to create health accounts in Rajasthan with sufficient capacity are already underway.

While highlighting the role of Rajasthan as an innovator in the health sector, the Director (Public Health), V.K. Mathur, said that “The state is at the forefront of adopting new schemes and models to expand the universal health coverage.”

-With inputs from IANS