The Union health ministry has been pulled up for spending only about one per cent of the GDP on health by a parliamentary panel, which said government should make concerted efforts to increase the expenditure to at least three per cent by 2010.

The Committee on Empowerment of Women, headed by Congress MP Krishna Tirath, also disagreed with the ministry, which, in reply to its recommendations, said the spending is higher if a holistic view is taken of health along with other determinants like nutrition, drinking water and sanitation.

"The committee in its original report had observed that the public expenditure on health was only about one per cent of the GDP though the national common minimum programme was committed to allocating 2 to 3 per cent of GDP to the health sector, a target to be achieved by 2010," the report said.

It had noted that when most of the developing countries were spending much more in health sector, the same in India has declined to just 0.87 per cent of GDP in 2004, the report on 'Medical facilities for women at AIIMS, hospitals and primary health centres' said.

Replying to the panel's suggestion that public spending on health should be at least 3 per cent of GDP, the ministry of health and family welfare had stated that all efforts were being made to enhance the expenditure beyond one per cent.