BHUBANESWAR: The state budget allocation for health sector is likely to go up by Rs 1,300 crore, around 15% more from Rs 7,699 crore in 2020-2021 to around Rs 9,000 crore in 2021-2022 with a major focus in health infrastructure, government sources said.
Finance minister Niranjan Pujari is scheduled to present the Rs 1.70 lakh crore budget in the state assembly on February 22. Apart from Rs 500 crore for expansion of SCB Medical College and Hospital-Cuttack, the government is likely to allocate Rs 50 crore each to six other hospitals for cancer care units.
These hospitals include district headquarters hospital Bargarh, VSS Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Sambalpur, among others. “The government has decided to have radiotherapy and certain diagnostic facilities in 11 hospitals. However, six of them will get budgetary allocation in the coming budget,” a government officer said.
