(MENAFN) India's government has decided to cut nearly 20 percent of its 2014/15 healthcare budget due to financial worries, putting at risk key disease control initiatives, The Peninsula Qatar reported.
Two Indian Health Ministry officials said that more than USD948 million has been cut from their budget allocated for around USD5 billion for the financial year which ends March 31, 2015.
The country spends around 1 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) on public health despite rapid economic growth in the past twenty years, compared to 3 percent in China and 8.3 percent in the US.
"We were not expecting (budget cuts) this time because of the commitments they made in the manifesto. No reason was given ... but there is shortage of funds. It is not rocket science," a health ministry official said.
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