Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Nidhi | PMSSN | Health | Govt Schemes

The Union Cabinet has approved Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Nidhi (PMSSN) as a single non-lapsable reserve fund for Health from the proceeds of Health and Education Cess.

MoHFW

Salient Features of PMSSN:

It is a non-lapsable reserve fund for Health in the Public Account.

Proceeds of the share of health in the Health and Education Cess will be credited into PMSSN.

Accruals into the PMSSN will be utilized for the flagship schemes of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare namely,

1. Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY).
2. Ayushman Bharat - Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWCs).
3. National Health Mission.
4. Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY).
5. Emergency & disaster preparedness and responses during health emergencies.
6. Future program/scheme if any that targets to achieve progress towards Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the targets set out in the National Health Policy (NHP) 2017.

The administration and maintenance of the PMSSN are entrusted to the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.

Benefits:

Enhanced access to universal & affordable health care through the availability of earmarked resources, while ensuring that the amount does not lapse at the end of the financial year.

Significance of Spending on Healthcare:

Improved Developmental Outcomes: 

From an economic standpoint, better health leads to better productivity and reduces losses due to premature death, prolonged disability, and early retirement.

Enhance Opportunities: 

One extra year of population life expectancy raises GDP per capita by 4%, investment in health creates millions of jobs, largely for women, through a much-needed expansion of the health workforce.

What is Health and Education Cess?

In the Budget speech 2018, the Finance Minister while announcing Ayushman Bharat Scheme, also announced the replacement of the existing 3% Education Cess by 4% Health and Education Cess.

Why is it collected? 

It is collected with the aim of addressing the educational and healthcare needs of rural families in India.