Describing that the health sector has been the priority of the Centre, Union Health Minister JP Nadda in Lok Sabha on Monday said the number of medical colleges in the country has risen to 731 from 387 in 2014.

“In addition, undergraduate medical seats have also “increased from 51,348 to 1.12 lakh, marking a 118 per cent rise, while postgraduate seats have grown by 133 per cent,” the Union Health Minister said during the discussion on demands for grants under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for 2024-25.

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Nadda further said the budget for health infrastructure has marked an “increase of 164 per cent” in the past decade.

Highlighting the significant rise in the health sector budget over the years, the Union Health Minister said, “In 2013-14, the health budget was Rs 33,278 crore, and today it stands at Rs 90,958 crore, marking an increase of 164 per cent. This demonstrates our prioritisation of the health sector.”

He further said  “before the first NDA government (Atal Bihari Vajpayee government), there was just one AIIMS in the country, during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led government, six AIIMS were opened”.

“In the last 10 years of the Modi government, 22 AIIMS have been approved. Of these 18 are operational and four are under construction,” the Union Health Minister said.

The Union Health Minister further said under the Ayushman Bharat Scheme, “about 12 crore families, that is more than 55 crore people, have been provided free treatment facilities up to Rs 5 lakh. And 1.73 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs have been established”.

Nadda said the scheme, which provides free medicines and other health-related facilities including testing’ has also “reduced out-of-pocket expenditure from 62 per cent to 47.1 per cent” in the country.