WHO aids Rajasthan to create health accounts

Rajasthan is the first state in the country going to institutionalise health accounts which will help in estimating the amount spent on the health sector and its impact.

The data or facts available from these accounts would be used in future for policy making, and technical and financial assistance will be provided by the WHO to create health accounts, said officials.

An orientation session was organised by the WHO in the Secretariat on Wednesday.

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

Explaining the need for regular and systematic health accounts at the sub-national (state) level in the workshop, he also appreciated the efforts made by Rajasthan as the first state in the country to institutionalise health accounts.

Rajasthan Principal Secretary (Finance), Akhil Arora, while supporting the creation and use of health accounts, said it would be easy to estimate the amount spent on the health sector and its impact and the data or facts available from this would be used better in future for policy making.

Rajasthan Secretary, Medical and Health Department, Prithvi Raj informed that the Rajasthan government is giving highest priority to the health of the common man.

The government has allocated more than 7 per cent of the total budget for health, which is higher than the national average, he said.

He added that efforts would be made to create health accounts in Rajasthan with sufficient capacity and all the health officers were excited about it.

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

Rajasthan is leading from the front with schemes like Chief Minister Chiranjeevi Swasthya Bima Yojana, Mukhyamantri Free Nirogi Rajasthan Yojana (all types of IPD and OPD services in all government institutions free of cost) along with strengthening the health system, Mathur added.

For the state to continue the success in health sector, it is necessary to have a system that can help in resource allocation and monitoring of expenditure. For this, it is necessary to institutionalise the health accounts within the state, he said.

The health system can be further strengthened up to the grassroots level by doing a detailed study of the fund flow through health accounts.