India focuses on health economics

India has announced the formation of its own national commission on macroeconomics and health. The commission, to be co-chaired by India's health and finance ministers, will look into areas needing attention and try to find ways of increasing investment in health. Its formation was prompted by the report of the World Health Organisation's (WHO) Commission on Macroeconomics and Health, set up in 2000, which concluded that development would not automatically occur in the developing world without increased investment in health. Professor Sachs, who is currently director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, New York, will be an adviser to India's national commission. He reported that India is spending less than 1% of its gross national product on its healthcare budget and can never achieve the 8% economic growth that it aspires to without a significant increase in its budget for health, nutrition, and education Mr. Shatrughan Sinha, the Indian health minister feels that the cost of fighting AIDS is beyond the reach of developing countries. He explained that with an estimated four million HIV positive cases in India and with 10% of those progressing to AIDS, even at the minimum cost of $365 per annum per patient we shall require about $150 million annually, which is more than half of the annual central health budget. David Nabarro, executive director of WHO reported that increased investment in health will mean more money but will also mean that people who work in health will have to be prepared to indicate what they are achieving with their spending and that would mean more accountability in the health sector.