bhubaneswar the medical fraternity in the state is not happy with the union budget while the 20 per cent higher allocation for the sector is too less according to doctors service tax on treatment in private hospitals will prove to be an extra financial burden on patients they saidfinance minister pranab mukherjee on monday proposed the imposition of a 5 per cent service tax on treatment in private hospitals irrespective of whether individuals insurance companies or corporate firms foot the bill in the last fiscal the tax was levied only in cases where the payment was made by insurance firms or business housesthe number of people in orissa having health insurance cover is relatively small the service tax will be a huge financial burden on them said dr arabinda mohanty executive board member of indian academy of paediatricsdr g biswas consultant medical oncologist at sparsh hospital said a uniform tax for all kinds of patients is a welcome step provided the government works towards bringing more people under the health insurance coverthe government has extended rashtriya swasthya beema yojana which earlier covered mahatma gandhi national rural employment guarantee act mgnrega beneficiaries to unorganised sector workers in hazardous mining and associated industries like lead pencil bromide mica and asbestosthe fm announced a 20 per cent hike in the health budget to 26760 crore compared to 22300 allocated in 201011 the 20 per cent hike is negligible around 75 countries in the world spend more than 10 per cent of their gross domestic product on health india should spend at least six per cent of the gdp on the sector said dr madhusudan mishra president of orissa medical services association it makes economic sense to allocate more to health because healthy people make better workforce according to mishrahomoeopaths are happy that excise relief has been given to lactose for manufacture of homoeopathic medicines this will lower the prices of homoeopathic medicines and benefit patients said dr r n dutta president of orissa homoeopathic druggists association