Even as the BJP government had announced in their manifesto that there would be more spending on health infrastructure and easy affordability of medical services to the poor, post-elections we have witnessed a complete u- turn in the government’s position. After having deregulated the price of essential drugs such as those required to treat dangerous diseases such as cancer, TB, diabetes, AIDS and heart diseases among others, the government has now ordered a near 20% cut in the healthcare budget in the 2014-15 financial year. This is when the spending on healthcare in India (1% of the GDP) is already among the lowest in the world with a very high incidence of disease and health-care related deaths, malnutrition and child mortality.

The cut would unambiguously translate into more and more of common people being denied accessibility to basic health care, not to speak of decrease in initiatives for disease control (which reminds us that the finance ministry has also ordered a slash of 30% in its HIV/ AIDS programme, even as india has one of the largest number of HIV infected people in the world). The network of primary health centers which is already in a neglected position, would be hit hardest as a result of the cuts announced making access to even basic health care facilities even more difficult, especially in the rural areas. On the other hand it will mean increasing precariousness of employment for health professionals, leaving them with no option but to work in various private hospitals with limited infrastructure or find the money to set up their own practice. Medical education would be another casualty, becoming even more expensive than it currently is. The scenario in short would require those who can afford to go to expensive private hospitals and clinics and leave the others to die, literally.

The cuts come in the wake of the government trying to overcome its fiscal deficit target of  4.1% GDP for 2014- 15 and is part of the larger trend of “austerity moves” taken by capitalist governments all over the world to solve the crisis that they are currently facing. It is however clear from the already low allocation of funds for sectors like public health and education, food and shelter, that these are not where the deficit is building up. Instead, it is the massive tax holidays afforded to the capitalist class and the bad loans given to the Adanis and their tribe that must be accounted and answered for. The Modi government in fact has in the name of “good governance” been introducing a host of neo-liberal reforms which pledges the state’s loyalty first and foremost to the capitalist class, always at the expense of the working and struggling common people. However, we shall not be duped by these “good” words.