Health Budget: Time to look forward, learning lessons from the past

Much of the health budget for 2020-21 was repurposed for the COVID-19 pandemic response, possibly at the expense of the National Health Mission (NHM). In addition, Budget 2021-22 made a provision of Rs.35,000 crores to fund the vaccination campaign. Even with the ongoing uncertainty, Budget 2022-23 provides an opportunity to take a strategic view of the Indian government’s health expenditure and its intended outcomes.