Education Budget 2023: 157 new nursing colleges; ICMR labs; programme on pharma research

NEW DELHI : A total of 157 new nursing colleges will be established with the existing 157 medical colleges established since 2014, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced while presenting the union budget 2023-24 on Wednesday. The announcement has come at a time when Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and Community Health Centres (CHCs) across the country have 28% and 23% nursing staff posts vacant, respectively.

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The finance minister has also announced that Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) labs will also be made available for research and a new programme for research and innovation in pharmaceuticals will be launched.

Health Education Budget 2023: Nursing

This year, no budget was allocated for the Indian Nursing Council (INC), which had received Rs 0.19 crore in last year’s budget. In the ongoing budget session 2023 of the Parliament, the government has proposed to move ‘The National Nursing and Midwifery Commission Bill, 2023’ which seeks for setting up a National Nursing and Midwifery Commission (NNMC) and to repeal the Indian Nursing Council Act, 1947.

The budget for other two schemes related to nursing education have witnessed an increase in funding.

The ‘Development of Nursing Services’ is a Central Sector Scheme (CSS) aimed at improving the quality of nursing and includes support for training institutions for nursing. The Regional Institute of Paramedical and Nursing Sciences, Aizawl, provides education in nursing, pharmacy and paramedical sciences to the northeast.

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Nursing posts Vacant

According to the Rural Health Statistics 2020-21 report (the latest available) prepared by the union ministry of health and family welfare, as on March 31, 2021, there were 28% nursing staff posts vacant in PHCs across India. While 50% or more sanctioned posts were vacant in states such as Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, and Bihar, more than 95% of sanctioned posts were filled in states such as Chhattisgarh and Kerala. In states like Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and Meghalaya, there was a surplus of nursing staff.

A total of 23% of nursing staff posts were vacant in CHCs across India. As with PHCs, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, and Meghalaya also had more positions filled compared to those sanctioned in CHCs. On the other hand, there were more than 30% vacancies in CHCs in Uttar Pradesh and Odisha and more than 60% in Bihar.

Doctors have welcomed the announcement of the establishment of 157 new nursing colleges.

Dr Ajay Swaroop , chairman (Board of Management ) at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi said, "The start of 157 nursing colleges will help in shortening the gap in students for nursing care.”

Beside opening nursing colleges, the central government must strengthen the peripheral healthcare system, said Dr Manish Jangra, founding member of Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA). “There is a huge burden on tertiary care hospitals. This load can be reduced by making healthcare delivery better at the periphery. More funds should be allocated to these places,” he said.

Budget Highlights 2023: ICMR labs, pharma research

Finance minister Sitharaman in her union budget 2023 speech also announced that Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) labs will also be made available for research by public and private medical college faculty and private sector Research and Development teams.

“Facilities in select ICMR labs to be made available for research by public and private medical college faculty, private sector research teams for encouraging collaborative research and innovation,” she said.

The finance minister announced that a new programme for research and innovation in pharmaceuticals will also be taken up through Centres of Excellence.

“We shall also encourage industry to invest in research and development in specific priority areas. Dedicated multidisciplinary courses for medical devices will be supported in the existing institutions to ensure availability of skilled man-power for futuristic medical technologies, high-end manufacturing and research,” she added.

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Medical Colleges Budget 2023

Among the most prestigious Indian medical colleges, AIIMS New Delhi is the only institution that saw a budget cut of 6% in FY 2023-24 compared to revised estimates of FY 2022-23. Other institutions received more funding compared to last year.

In the financial year 2023-24, the government has allocated Rs 6,835 crore for the establishment of new AIIMS. The government had not allocated money for it in FY 2021-22 and FY 2022-23.