Oral Health Care Expenditure
The oro-dental problems are largely considered to be non-life threatening except
oral cancer. The irony of the budget allocation in India is that, out of the
total budget, the amount that is dedicated to health expenditure is very meagre
(2%), and out of this amount only a minute percentage is allocated for oral health-related
activities.
In fact, there is no specific separate allocation for oral health in the Indian
budget. India allocated only 4.9% of the gross domestic product or gross domestic
income for health-related expenditures in the last financial year, whereas other
smaller Southeast Asian countries with smaller populations allocate nearly the same
amount or more for health-related activities. According to World Bank statistics,
the developed countries contribute around 7 to 11% of their GDP on health.
Due to this financial constraint, Indian population is compelled to ignore oral
health. Under such circumstances, IDA's community center provides optimum oral health
care to the lesser fortunate, without any pinch on their pocket.