Primary Healthcare Budget Soars Past Rs 1.4 Lakh Crore Mark

A decade-long trend of rising investment in India’s primary healthcare system reached a new high in 2022-23. Fresh data from the National Health Accounts show that central and state governments together spent Rs 1.4 lakh crore on primary services, more than double the Rs 50,000 crore recorded in 2013-14. The jump signals a strategic shift toward preventive and community-based care rather than hospital-centric models. At the heart of this transformation are 1.8 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs operating across the country. Each center delivers a standardized package of 12 services that includes maternal and child health, screening for hypertension and diabetes, mental health counseling, dental care, and emergency first aid. Patients also receive free drugs, lab tests, and teleconsultation facilities without having to travel long distances. The government has simultaneously revised the essential medicines and diagnostics lists at every level of the public system. Sub-health centers now dispense 106 medicines and conduct 14 tests; primary centers offer 172 medicines and 63 tests; while higher facilities provide even broader coverage. Health ministry sources credit the expanded entitlements, coupled with door-to-door screening and media campaigns, for earlier diagnosis and higher treatment completion rates in rural and semi-urban areas.