Health Minister's Discretionary Grant Statistics: Funds Released 2016-17 to 2022-23
· 2 min read · 4 official sources
The Health Ministry released Rs 1.16 crore under the Health Minister's Discretionary Grant in 2021-22 against an allocation of Rs 5 crore, down from Rs 5 crore released in 2018-19, according to Parliament replies published by PIB. The grant pays up to Rs 1.25 lakh towards treatment of poor patients. Year-wise figures are below.
Health Minister's Discretionary Grant (HMDG): key numbers
Infographic
HMDG funds allocated and released (2019-20 to 2022-23)
Money allocated and released to hospitals under the Health Minister's Discretionary Grant, from a Parliament reply of 22 July 2022. The 2022-23 release is the amount up to that date, early in the year.
| Year | Released (Rs crore) | Allocated (Rs crore) |
|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | 3.48 | 6.00 |
| 2020-21 | 1.44 | 6.00 |
| 2021-22 | 1.16 | 5.00 |
| 2022-23 | 0.80 | 5.00 |
Source: pib.gov.in, as on 22 July 2022
HMDG funds released (2016-17 to 2018-19)
Money released under the Health Minister's Discretionary Grant in the three years before 2019-20, from a Parliament reply of 20 March 2020.
| Year | Released (Rs crore) |
|---|---|
| 2016-17 | 2.85 |
| 2017-18 | 2.88 |
| 2018-19 | 5.00 |
Source: pib.gov.in, as on 20 March 2020
How HMDG help reaches a patient
What the numbers show
The Health Minister's Discretionary Grant gives one-time help of up to Rs 1.25 lakh to poor patients, with family income up to Rs 1.25 lakh a year, who need treatment in a government hospital for a life threatening disease where free care is not available. The money goes straight to the hospital.
Parliament replies published by PIB show that releases peaked at Rs 5 crore in 2018-19. They then fell to Rs 3.48 crore in 2019-20, Rs 1.44 crore in 2020-21 and Rs 1.16 crore in 2021-22, even though the allocation stayed at Rs 5 to 6 crore each year.
Year by year
From 2016-17 to 2018-19, releases were Rs 2.85 crore, Rs 2.88 crore and Rs 5 crore. The July 2022 reply gives allocation and release side by side for the next four years. In every one of those years, much less was released than allocated. The Rs 0.80 crore shown for 2022-23 is only the amount released up to July 2022.
Patients helped
The Ministry has not published a clear count of patients helped each year. A reply of 3 August 2021 included a state-wise list for 2018-19 to 2020-21 without saying what the numbers count, so it is not used here. The same reply said 40 applications were under process as on 30 July 2021.
What the figures do not tell you
The tables show money released, not the number of patients or the diseases treated. HMDG sits next to the larger Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi umbrella scheme, which pays up to Rs 15 lakh for some illnesses, and many poor patients are now covered for free hospital care under Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY. The Ministry has not said whether this explains the lower HMDG releases. No year-wise figures after July 2022 have been published through PIB.
Where to check for updates
The scheme rules and application form are on the Health Ministry site at main.mohfw.gov.in under financial assistance to poor patients. Newer figures, when given, appear in answers to Parliament questions.
Frequently asked questions
How much money is released under the Health Minister's Discretionary Grant?
Rs 1.16 crore was released in 2021-22 against an allocation of Rs 5 crore, according to a Parliament reply of 22 July 2022. In 2019-20 the release was Rs 3.48 crore.
What is the maximum grant under HMDG?
Up to Rs 1.25 lakh per patient, for people with an annual family income of Rs 1.25 lakh or less who are treated in a government hospital.
Is HMDG money given to states?
No. The Ministry pays the grant directly to the hospital treating the patient, so there is no state-wise allocation.
How many HMDG applications are pending?
The latest published figure is 40 applications under process in the Ministry as on 30 July 2021.
Why have HMDG releases fallen?
The Ministry has not given a reason in its replies. Releases dropped from Rs 5 crore in 2018-19 to Rs 1.16 crore in 2021-22 while the allocation stayed at Rs 5 to 6 crore.
Eligibility, documents and how to apply: Health Minister's Discretionary Grant (HMDG) full guide
Charts, data files and the infographic are free to download, share and embed with a link back to this page.
Sources
This guide was checked against these official pages:
- pib.gov.in (www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1843846)
- pib.gov.in (www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1607319)
- pib.gov.in (www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1741842)
- main.mohfw.gov.in (main.mohfw.gov.in/major-programmes/poor-patients-financial-assistance/health-min)