India's health ministry has trimmed its cost estimates for extending its main public health programme by 25 per cent after criticism from a federal think-tank over inefficiency and slow progress, according to government documents seen by Reuters.
The new estimate of $25 billion for a three-year extension of the flagship health programme, down from an initial figure of about $33 billion, comes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi pushes a multi-pronged agenda to revamp health services.
Planned reforms include streamlining spending and bureaucracy, slashing prices of life-saving drugs and medical devices, and nudging companies such as PepsiCo to make more healthy products.
To extend
