An Overview of Public Expenditure on Health Sector in Tamil Nadu

Abstract

The state governments spend money on both economic and social services for the community. Education, public health, worker welfare programs, aid and rehabilitation for displaced people, and similar services are examples of social services. The community benefits from these services, and the better and happier the people are, the more advanced these services are. Tamil Nadu is welfare state which understands its responsibility to provide a minimum standard of living to all the citizens. Tamil Nadu is socially and economically a well performing state in the country. From the time of independence, the state has been dedicated in the provision of quality in the health sector. Almost all the political parties who ruled the state known for their rationality. The study period includes six five-year plans from 1991-2017. The health sector expenditure has been on increasing trend during the study period. It shows how far the government was interested towards providing health benefits to its masses. During every five-year plan period Tamil Nadu Government has introduced number of schemes and policy measures towards the health sector. The main focus of the study is an overview about the public expenditure on health from different five-year plan period from 8th five-year to 12th five-year plan. In Tamil Nadu, approved spending was almost always less than actual spending incurred during all plan periods. It concludes that over the period of the plan periods, the total amount spent by the federal and state governments on the health sector has increased steadily.