Health budget in light of pandemic: Health reforms from mirage to reality

The outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has triggered changes and reforms in the health sector in India. As the pandemic points to a gap in the industry, it has led to the creation of new opportunities to solve problems. To help the country repair the damage caused by the virus pandemic, the Government of India announced that in the health budget 2021, promotion of health and well-being will be one of the six pillars. Investment in health infrastructure in the 2021 budget has increased significantly to welcome the much-needed increase in budget allocations of Rs. 2.3 lakh crore. Three areas will also be strengthened, including preventive health care and therapeutic health care. Special emphasis is placed on prevention, treatment, and health care. To promote primary health care, the country will establish 17,000 rural and 11,000 urban health care centers. Provision of affordable quality medical insurance will be provided by the government. The integrated and collaborative model of the public and private sectors in the provision of health services has led to a rapid expansion of work. This is an attempt to demonstrate the planned reforms in the health budget, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The budget of 2022-23 is about to be announced soon. It is to be seen how the financial allocation for the health sector impacts the health of the Indian people.