India, Jan. 31 -- Out-of-pocket-expenses remained dangerously high till 2019-2020

Government expenditure on health, both state and central, was 2.1 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) last year, as per the Economic Survey 2022-2023, tabled by Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman January 31, 2023.

This is a slight dip from 2.2 per cent of the GDP in financial year 2021-2022 and an increase from 1.3 per cent of the GDP in 2015-2016. This "highlights the rising importance of public healthcare and social security in ensuring universal health coverage," the report noted.

In absolute figures, the increase translated into Rs 1,75,272 crore in 2015-2016 to Rs 5,48,855 crore in 2022-2023. These figures are...