Lucknow, February 9: Uttar Pradesh’s Finance Minister Suresh Khanna presented the Economic Survey Report for the fiscal year 2025-26 during the assembly budget session on Monday. The report detailed the efforts and achievements made towards strengthening health services in the state. According to the survey, the state government is fully committed to enhancing medical infrastructure, expanding medical education and training, and providing quality healthcare services to the public.
Minister Khanna highlighted that a total budget of ₹46,728.48 crore has been allocated for the health sector in the 2025-26 fiscal year, marking the highest allocation to date. This clearly indicates that the state government prioritizes health and family welfare. The budget ensures sufficient funds for hospitals, health centers, medical education institutions, health infrastructure, and welfare health programs.
Referencing the Reserve Bank of India’s report, “State Finance: A Study of the Budget of 2025-26,” Khanna noted that the health budget of Uttar Pradesh accounts for 6.1% of the total budget, surpassing the national average. This shows that the state government is investing more in health services compared to other states. According to periodic national accounts estimates and updated reports published by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, there has been a consistent increase in government expenditure on health. Concurrently, out-of-pocket expenses for citizens have decreased. This change indicates that increased government investment is alleviating the financial burden of healthcare on citizens. Enhanced budget allocations for hospitals, clinics, vaccination, national health programs, and health infrastructure have improved both access and quality of services.
The Economic Survey also noted significant improvements in institutional deliveries due to the state government’s reformative efforts and initiatives like the Janani Suraksha Yojana and the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan. In rural areas, the active role of ASHA workers and ANMs has consistently encouraged pregnant women to deliver in hospitals and health centers. In the fiscal year 2021-22, there were 34.74 lakh institutional deliveries, which increased to 41 lakh by 2024-25, reflecting an 18.02% rise. By 2024-25, 96.12% of all deliveries in the state were institutional. Conversely, the number of non-institutional deliveries decreased from 3.35 lakh in 2021-22 to 1.66 lakh in 2024-25, a reduction of 50.44%. This achievement is seen as a direct result of the government’s positive efforts and improved access to health services.
The state has also made notable achievements in vaccination. According to the Economic Survey, free vaccinations are regularly administered to children aged 0 to 5 years across all districts to protect against 12 deadly diseases, including polio, TB, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, Hib, hepatitis B, pneumonia, Japanese encephalitis, measles, rubella, and diarrhea. Pregnant women are also vaccinated against tetanus.
Under the regular vaccination program, HMIS data indicates that by 2024-25, 100% of children received complete vaccinations. By September 2025, 28.62 lakh children (98%) will be fully immunized. The Economic Survey attributes this success to public awareness campaigns, improvements in service delivery, and the strengthening of health services.
The report also mentions efforts to reduce neonatal, infant, and child mortality rates. Under the National Health Mission, significant programs such as the Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU), Nutrition Rehabilitation Center, Home-Based Newborn Care (HBNC), and Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) are being implemented. These programs provide special care to vulnerable and malnourished children, leading to continuous improvements in child health indicators.
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DKP/