ALJAZEERA: India is moving ahead with plans to spend nearly five billion dollars to supply free drugs to patients — bringing the nation closer to universal health coverage.
The “game-changing” scheme, in the words of one top Indian health ministry official, is part of the government’s latest five-year spending programme, and is expected to start in October.
This initiative “would be a giant step in vastly expanding the access to medicines” in the country of 1.2 billion people, Ministry of Health joint secretary Arun Panda said.
The centre-left Congress government will pay 200 billion rupees $3.61bn, while India’s 29 states will be asked to kick in 66bn rupees over the next five years to the scheme, a government statement said on Friday… (more)
EDITOR: Sadly the USA can’t afford to do the same. Too many wars to fight. Rich people don’t like to pay taxes.
