States with highest public health expenditure in India FY 2018
State governments responsible for public healthcare
State governments had a lion’s share of around 63 percent in the total public health expenditure in India, compared to around 37 percent by the central government as of fiscal year 2018. This is in lieu of the Indian constitution that places the primary responsibility of providing health care with respective state governments.
Budget outlays for health
India had one of the lowest expenditures on healthcare among 36 other OECD countries. While the United States spent about 17 percent of its GDP on healthcare, India spent just around three percent on health care in 2018. As a result, private healthcare sector has been booming and Indian citizens incur high out-of-pocket costs for healthcare. It is clear that India’s health financing is in need of better funding and resources to ensure healthcare remains affordable and accessible to all.